Path of a Warrior
by Gehatik
Summary: Every man must make his own path. The question is how he will carve it and where it will go. For Kadral, the answers to those questions aren't as simple as he'd like them to be. But nothing is simple when you're a Mandalorian Sith.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

* * *

 **AN: Welcome to my tale of a Mandalorian Sith Warrior named Kadral. If you've read my previous short story, Birth of a Warrior, I'm glad you're back. If you haven't read it, that's okay. Some of its events will be referenced in this book, but nothing will play a major part (though I do recommend you read it if you'd like to get an idea of what some of the characters were like when they were younger). **

**A couple of things to note:**

 **Most of the blasters in this story are references to real-life firearms. Kudos if you can identify them.**

 **The Mandalorians in this story will sometimes speak in Mandoa. While the conversational words will be listed in the section below, some of the proper names may not be. Googling, "Mandoa" will bring up a dictionary in the top few results, if you'd like to learn more about this language.**

 **Most of the characters, settings, and plotlines in this story belong to Bioware.**

 **Finally, and most importantly, I'd like to give a HUGE thanks to Cinlat, the author of Family Is More Than Blood and many other great stories. Her work inspired me to start this, and she's been an amazing Beta reader. She took my rough work and polished it to a beautiful shine. _Ori'vor'e_.**

* * *

 **Mando'a Dictionary (To be updated as the story progresses)**

 ** _Ad_ : Son or Daughter**

 ** _Be-_ : Prefix used to indicate possession**

 ** _Beskad_ : Mandalorian saber made from Beskar, capable of deflecting lightsabers**

 ** _Beskar_ : _Mandalorian_ iron, a nearly indestructible metal that, when properly treated, can even stop lightsabers**

 ** _Beskar'gam_ : Mandalorian armor**

 ** _Buir_ : Mother or Father**

 ** _Chakaar_ : Corpse robber, petty thief, general term of abuse**

 **Cyare: Beloved**

 ** _Dar'manda_ : Soulless. No longer Mandalorian. The worst insult to call another Mandalorian**

 ** _-e, -se_ : plural suffix**

 ** _Elek_ : Yes (shortened to ' _lek_ ' as 'yeah')**

 ** _Haat, ijaa, haa'it_ : Truth, Honor, Vision. Words used to seal a pact**

 ** _Jate_ : Good**

 ** _Ka_ : Night**

 ** _Kandosi_ : Wicked**

 ** _Ner_ : My**

 ** _Osik_ : Dung**

 ** _Shab'rudur_ : Screw with**

 ** _Shabuir_ : Extreme insult- like 'Jerk,' but stronger.**

 ** _Shu'shuk_ : disaster, screw up**

 _ **Su**_ **cuy'gar: Mandalorian greeting**

 ** _Vaar'tur_ : Morning**

 ** _Vod_ : Brother or sister**

 ** _Vor'e_ : Thank You ( _Ori'vor'e_ means 'Thank You Very Much')**

* * *

Kadral strode through the Imperial Grey halls of the Sith Academy with a scowl hidden beneath his blue and green helmet. The past few days had been an absolute _shu'shuk_. He'd been forced to kill his old master and spent two days in in the tombs of various Sith Lords gathering shards of some kind while simultaneously protecting his "treasure" from other acolytes. Now, Darth Baras, his new master, wanted Kadral to retrieve a lightsaber hidden in yet another tomb, and, apparently, he was being given a slave who knew how to get in. As Kadral approached the door to the academy's dungeon, he heard cries of pain, and the sickening laugh of the Jailer, Knash. His frown deepening, the young acolyte picked up the pace and threw open the door.

* * *

Vette gasped as electricity surged through her body via the slave collar around her neck. "What did I do?" she demanded, gritting her teeth against the pain. Another shock, stronger this time, was her answer. The young Twi'lek tried unsuccessfully to keep from crying out in pain, knowing it only served to encourage her tormentor.

"Someone's gonna be here to pick you up soon, and I'm gonna get as much fun out of you as I can," Jailer Knash jeered. As if on cue, the door flew open, revealing a large figure covered head to toe in Mandalorian-style armor. Through the haze clouding her thoughts, Vette noticed that his helmet and gauntlets didn't quite match his suit's sithy-looking black and red color scheme. The figure strode up to the Jailer and demanded in the voice of someone trying hard to hold his rage in check, "What do you think you're doing?"

"Just-uh, testin' her collar," Knash tried to explain. "Makin' sure it works. She's a snippy one, but if she starts backtalkin' you, just push the button and-" The armored man snatched the remote out of Knash's hand.

"I know how a slave collar works," he informed the Jailer darkly. "Just get her out."

The red barrier dropped, and Vette's new owner approached with the controlled movement of a fighter. He stopped in front of her, and, while she couldn't see his eyes through the visor, Vette knew they were inspecting her thoroughly. The Twi'lek recognized him from once before, when he had been tasked with judging three prisoners: a self-admitted assassin, a failed general, and a forger who had maintained he was innocent. His judgments against the first two were harsh. Upon hearing the assassin's unapologetic confession, he immediately executed her, and while he honored the general's wish for a duel, it was a completely one-sided fight, with the prisoner dying in seconds. The last man, however, still plead innocent, with the jailer confirming that even torture hadn't changed his tune. To her surprise, the acolyte had ordered him freed, claiming that the Empire shouldn't punish those who didn't deserve it. Those words gave Vette hope that she, too, might be treated fairly. Unfortunately, she had learned the hard way that one should never get her hopes up around a Sith. His voice suddenly drew her from her thoughts.

"My name's Kadral," he introduced himself in tone surprisingly different from the one he had used with Knash, though his helmet's speaker still gave it an intimidating edge.

"Vette," the Twi'lek replied, watching him warily.

"Looks like you'll be helping me in the tombs tomorrow," Kadral explained before nodding towards the door.

"Come on." The acolyte started towards the door, blatantly ignoring the jailer who'd retreated to a submissive distance. Vette took a step to follow, then paused at her new master's next words. "Let's get you to my room and out of those clothes."

The Twi'lek's eyes widened in alarm. It was all she could do not to stumble at the implied threat. Briefly, she considered bolting for the door. Even as the thought surfaced she shoved it down again. He'd be on her in an instant, then, she'd be dead. Survive today, escape tomorrow, Vette assured herself. With no other option, she followed the strange Sith.

* * *

Kadral noticed that Vette was oddly silent on the way back to his quarters. The spunky blue Twi'lek had no trouble taunting Knash during Kadral's last visit to the dungeons. She had regaled the prisoners and their guard with imitations of various animals, refusing to let the shocks deter her.

The girl definitely had guts. Not to mention, beneath the grime and the filthy rags, she looked rather… Kadral shook his head. Now was not the time. Vette still hadn't said a word when they arrived at his quarters. Kadral keyed in the passcode, and the door slid open, allowing the pair to step inside. As he walked toward his wardrobe, he noticed Vette still standing near the door with a defiant glare firmly fixed on her features.

"I may be a slave," the Twi'lek began with hands on hips. "But I'm not your toy, and I'll die before I let you turn me into one."

Kadral's full attention snapped to her, confusion replacing the list of supplies he'd been previously compiling. His eyes widened at the memory of the last words he'd spoken before they left the dungeon.

" _Osik_ ," he cursed, taking off his helmet to reveal a blushing face underneath. "I, uh, didn't mean it that way. I just meant that you're probably sick of being in those rags and might like something clean." He opened a drawer and pulled out a shirt and some pants, then hesitated before stepping closer. "These are probably way too big for you, but," he paused a safe distance away and tossed them over, "they're better than what you have on right now."

Vette's face morphed from confusion to fear when he pulled the shock remote from a pocket and pushed a button. However, to her surprise, instead of emitting an electric shock, her collar loosened.

"You won't need that in here," Kadral told her. "Now go take a shower and change. We'll talk when you get out."

Thirty minutes later, Vette emerged from the refresher feeling cleaner than she had in a very long time. As expected, the clothes were way too big. Vette made due by tieing off the shirt and rolling up the pants legs. She couldn't complain, though. They were fresh, well-made, and didn't have multiple holes like her old clothes did.

The first thing that Vette noticed about Kadral's quarters was the exotic, appetizing scent emanating from a pot sitting on a small hot plate. Her eyes traveled to Kadral next, who was sitting on a chair doing something with his armor. He looked up at her, giving Vette a chance to truly see his features for the first time. He was roughly her age, if she had to guess, maybe nineteen or twenty, with tan skin that was just shy of brown, short, dark hair and hazel eyes.

Who is this guy? Vette wondered, absentmindedly rubbing the back of her neck where her collar had been. Kadral's brows furrowed as he stared at her.

"Let me get you something for those electrical burns," he offered, standing to retrieve a medical kit he had propped on a side table.

"Why are you doing this?" Vette asked, following his movements warily. "Is this some Sithy game? You know, 'get the Twi'lek's hopes up and dash them, then feed off her despair,' or something." She stared at Kadral, waiting for some kind of retribution. Instead, to her surprise, his mouth quirked in a half smile.

"No trick, Vette," Kadral replied, handing her some burn cream and a bandage. "I'm a Mandalorian. Freedom is important to us; we don't keep slaves."

"I've seen a couple of Mandalorian slavers before," Vette commented even as she accepted the ointment. Kadral's face hardened at her words.

" _Dar'manda_ _chakaare_!" He snarled, causing Vette to flinch. "Those weren't Mandalorians," he continued darkly.

Vette knew what she had seen, but didn't press the issue. She knew that Mandalorians were generally a united people, but, when they had infighting, things got messy. It was probably safer to drop the subject. "Thank you," she replied instead, squeezing some of the cream onto her hands and gingerly rubbing it on the two blisters left by the electrodes. She then gently applied the bandage, before returning her attention to Kadral, who was occupying himself by stirring the pot of… something.

"What is that?" she inquired, leaning around Kadral to take a peek at what was in the pot. A red stew was bubbling, bits of meat and vegetables swirling as the Mandalorian stirred. Vette tried to place the scent, but couldn't. All she could tell was that it was spicy. The Twi'lek sniffed, her nose suddenly runny.

"This is Wayii- Mandalorian Surprise," Kadral answered in a wry tone. "A dish named after its ability to cause people's mouths to water with anticipation or go dry with fear, depending on who's making it."

"And what do people do when they hear you're making it?" Vette asked playfully.

"Never had any complaints about my version before," he answered proudly, before admitting, "though none of my friends have tried it on Korriban."

"You just said 'Korriban' as if it had something to do with this dish," she pointed out suspiciously. "I'm not sure I like that. What exactly is inside?"

"You'll find out when it's ready," was his only reply.

"That's not encouraging."

"Too bad," Kadral sang with, to Vette's amazement, a genuine smile. He stood and pointed to the pot. "Keep stirring that every few minutes," he requested. "I'm going to take a shower myself."

* * *

Kadral basked in the glory that was Hot Water. He'd amassed an impressive layer of sweat and grime during his three-day adventure of searching for that stupid pottery in the tombs. Shutting the water off, his thoughts turned toward his new companion. Vette was definitely interesting, among many other things. Her banter about his cooking was a refreshing break from the bleak seriousness of almost everything and everyone else on Korriban.

Corbin would love her, Kadral thought. He hadn't seen his best friend in over three years, and, Force, he missed him.

The young warrior winced as his towel grazed the gash on his arm- a gift from some kind of monster guarding an old Lord's tomb. The thing's claws had managed to find a gap in Kadral's armor just underneath his shoulder, and, with all of his running around the past few days, he hadn't had a chance to put on a new kolto patch. After pulling his pants up, Kadral walked out of the refresher to fetch the medical kit and smeared a generous amount of kolto paste onto a bandage. He secured it to his arm, then turned to find Vette standing by the pot trying not look like she had been staring at him. Kadral wasn't surprised, he had amassed a few large scars on his torso, notably the large blotch on his side courtesy of a Jedi's lightsaber.

"How's it look?" he asked, pulling over a shirt. Vette blinked. "The Wayii," he clarified.

"Pretty good," she answered, recovering her composure with a grin.

"Smells ready," he agreed. "Bowls are above you. Dig in."

Kadral had made what he thought was four servings- which would have given them each an extra meal for the road. Unfortunately, he underestimated how hungry Vette was. Kadral had barely gotten halfway through his bowl before Vette had finished her second.

"This is spicy but amazing. What's in it?" she wondered, speaking for the first time in several minutes.

"K'lor'slug, Shyrack, and a few assorted vegetables I scavenged from the cafeteria kitchen," Kadral answered bluntly. "Oh, and my special Wayii base."

Vette choked a bit on her food, before swallowing it and regaining her composure. "K'lor' slug? I didn't know Sith made jokes."

"That wasn't a joke."

Vette tilted her bowl to look inside as if expecting something to jump out. When she spoke again, it bore an incredulous note. "You're saying that you took one of the most disgusting things on the planet and made it taste good?"

"I take it you approve?"

"Oh, yeah. Although, I'd approve of anything that wasn't the slop they served in that dungeon."

Kadral's face grew serious. "When's the last time you had a square meal?"

The fact Vette had to think about her answer told Kadral all he needed to know. "I'd say a month ago. Just before I arrived on this cursed planet. I was eating ration bars until they caught me."

"Why did you come here?" he asked, making a mental note to cook more servings next time.

"We- I collect Twi'lek artifacts, and was looking for a necklace that belonged to a Twi'lek Sith." Vette took another bite, swallowed, and frowned when she realized her bowl was empty. "It was going fairly well. I managed to figure out how all the statues and stuff worked in the tombs, but then some upstart Acolyte jumped me." Vette ran a finger around the rim, then licked it clean before continuing. " "He knocked me out and, next thing I knew, I was collared again."

"Again?" Kadral probed, and Vette shook her head.

"I don't want to talk about it," she replied, voice smaller than normal.

"Are you ready for dessert, or are you going to finish off that last serving?" Kadral asked to change the subject.

"Dessert?" The Twi'lek perked up, lekku twitching excitedly. The Mando answered by pulling out a brick-shaped object wrapped in parchment, which he dropped on the table with a meaty thud. Peeling off the paper, he revealed a sweet, sticky cake of some kind. "What is that?" Vette wondered with obvious intrigue.

"Uj'alayi," Kadral answered. "Or, 'Uj cake'. It's sort of a Mandalorian fruitcake smothered in syrup. Tradition says that it should be made flat, but my dad found that these bricks are a bit easier to transport." He pulled out a knife and cut off a slab, offering it to his new friend. The thought made him pause. Was she his friend? Friends were rare for a Mandalorian, even more for Sith, but the bubbly Twi'lek was growing on him at an amazing rate.

A groan of culinary pleasure cut through Kadral's thoughts, snapping him back into reality. He blinked and cut himself a piece of his own. The spicy sweetness lit up his tongue, causing his face to mirror Vette's.

"Did you make this too?" His companion asked before putting another piece in her mouth.

Kadral reluctantly tore his attention away from enjoying the cake to answer her question. "My Bui- My father made it. Sent me off to Korriban with half a dozen bricks. I've been saving this last one for a special occasion."

"I always thought Mando men were too busy running around the galaxy killing people to cook," Vette stated.

"Well," Kadral said slowly, "My dad did get a desk job about two years ago, or one of the closest things a Mandalorian can get to one. But he always did a lot of the cooking. Mom can't cook to save her life. Fortunately, I inherited my taste buds from my father."

Her eyebrows rose. "Desk job?"

"Ehh. Logistics and _osik_ like that." Kadral waved his hand in dismissal. "He still manages to go catch raids with Aliit Mav, but he-"

Vette cut him off. "Wait a minute. Did you just say Aliit Mav? That explains a lot."

"Have you heard of them?"

"Have I? How could I have not?" Vette gushed. "They're responsible for freeing thousands of slaves. Now I see why you've been so nice to me. A lot nicer than most of the Mandalorians I've encountered."

"Mandalorians come in all kinds," Kadral justified. "We just tend to be serious, and don't usually trust non-Mandalorians."

Vette thought that was the understatement of the century, but didn't voice her opinion, instead electing to change the subject. "So… What's tomorrow's plan?"

"Tomorrow," he answered, grimacing at the word, "we wake up at oh five hundred, get you in some armor, and find that saber. Preferably, without dying in whatever ambush Vemrin has set up."

Vette paused mid-chew, her lekku twitching. "Saber? Vemrin? I'm confused."

"Sorry," Kadral apologized, "Darth Baras tasked me with finding some old lightsaber that belonged to one of Naga Sadow's underlings. A Lady Nalot."

"Nalot!" Vette exclaimed incredulously, nearly dropping her slice. "That's the Sith! The one I was looking for!" Suddenly, the excited Twi'lek stopped. "What- What happens to me after you've found it?" she questioned her voice losing its spirit as she stared at her plate.

"I don't know," came Kadral's eventual answer. "If I'm lucky, Baras will let me keep you."

"And if not?"

Kadral had no reply.

Vette was quiet for a minute. "Promise me this, if I get stuck on this planet, you'll get the necklace to the Twi'lek History Museum on Ryloth. Please."

Kadral looked her dead in the eye. " _Haat, ijaa, haa'it_. I will do it."

"Thank you," Vette replied sincerely. "It's nice to know that not everyone on this planet is a jerk." She followed her statement with a yawn.

"I think now's a good time to go to bed," Kadral advised. "Like I said, we're waking up early."

"I call the bed," Vette joked, jumping to her feet.

"Take it," he offered, pulling out his bedroll and throwing it over the couch. Vette was surprised at his generosity but didn't argue. It had been a long time since she slept on an actual bed. She chuckled to herself. That was probably why he gave it to her. A part of her was still afraid that this was one long con. A Sith trick just to break her spirit. But, maybe it wasn't. That was her last thought before the softness of the bed lulled her into the best sleep she'd had in a very long time.

Kadral wasn't so lucky. His two-meter frame did not fit on the couch, and he had to scrunch himself up, causing part of him to hang precariously off the side. I am seriously starting to regret this, he thought after trying and failing for the fourth time to find a comfortable position. Contented, steady breathing reached his ear and, reaching out with the Force, he could sense that Vette had already fallen asleep.

A smile crossed Kadral's face. He didn't know why he cared about Vette's happiness so much, but there was just something about the Twi'lek that made him want her to like him. Maybe it was the fact that showing her kindness made him feel like he wasn't becoming like the Sith that surrounded him, one of his greatest fears. Nothing in the Sith Code required cruelty, but, sadly, it was commonplace, and even expected. The young Mando thought about his armor, and what its colors represented. He'd make sure his parents never had a reason to be disappointed in him. Sleep didn't come to him immediately, but exhaustion eventually won over discomfort, and Kadral drifted off into oblivion.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

* * *

 **AN: Thanks, as always, to Cinlat for Beta reading this. Enjoy chapter 2!**

* * *

Vette awoke to the obnoxious of an alarm on the table beside the bed. Gathering her bearings, she heard a groan, followed by the thud of a large body hitting the floor, which brought on yet another groan. She looked toward the couch and saw Kadral stagger to his feet. He gestured in her direction, and the noise stopped as the alarm flew from the wall into his large hand. "I hate that sound," he muttered, tossing it onto the couch which was still rumpled from where he'd slept. The Mando shook his leg, as if trying to wake it up as well, and rubbed the back of his neck, grimacing as he did so. Vette compared his massive frame to the tiny couch and winced at the thought of what it must have felt like to try to fit on such a cramped piece of furniture.

"I'll make caf," the Twi'lek offered, trying to be helpful. Mornings never really bothered her, and last night had been magnificent. Vette even thought she had some good dreams, though they'd slipped from her memory the moment she woke. She started Kadral's small caf dispenser, spooning the aromatic powder into the receptacle.

"Thank you," she told Kadral, pausing to glance over her shoulder. "I really mean it. I haven't had a night of sleep like that in a really long time."

"Neither have I," Kadral agreed wryly. Vette was very quickly realizing that, when her new partner did have his moments of humor, they were quite dry.

The two stood in silence until the dispenser beeped to announce that their beverages were ready. Vette poured the dark liquid into two cups."Do you have any sugar?" Vette asked from the counter. Kadral stepped directly behind her and reached into the top cabinet to retrieve a small container, and setting it down in front of her. _Guess personal space isn't really a concept for Mandalorians,_ Vette thought to herself. Not that she minded; the Twi'lek had shared quarters even more cramped with more people.

Opening the container, Vette stirred copious amounts of sugar into her caf. Kadral was still standing beside her, blowing on his mug, but making no motion to add anything to his drink. "I'm guessing you Sith like your caf dark and bitter, like your soul," she teased, testing the waters. The corner of Kadral's lip ghosted upwards, but he said nothing.

"So what's for breakfast?" Vette asked to break the silence.

Kadral swallowed his sip of caf before answering, "Herder's Breakfast." He took another sip before reaching into the conservator and pulling out two sealed reusable containers. He cracked their lids and put them into a heater unit. A few seconds later, the food was hot and ready to eat.

The acolyte grabbed two forks and stuck one in each container before handing Vette her portion. The Twi'lek looked inside and grimaced at the pale yellow slop, dotted with chunks and specks of green. It reminded her of what they served in the dungeon. Sliding her eyes went back to Kadral, who was digging into his serving with abandon, she wrinkled her nose. "What is this stuff?" she asked, disgust lacing her voice.

"Herder's breakfast," he repeated with the same air of pride he used to describe _Wayii_. "Eggs, grated tubers, sausage, cheese, garlic, peppers, and a bit of an herb known as 'basil' all cooked and then mixed together. Looks disgusting; tastes amazing." He punctuated his last statement with a large bite.

Vette warily took a fork-full and put it into her mouth. To her surprise, it tasted pretty good, if not heavy on the garlic. Soon, she finished her meal and put the container in the sonic dishwasher, then turned to face Kadral, who had finished up about a minute before her. He was currently opening a large, secure-looking lockbox. She walked over to him just as the biometrics finished scanning, and the lid sprang open to reveal several quality blasters. Vette was surprised at the thought of a Sith using anything but a lightsaber before remembering that Mandalorians were famous for their love of weapons.

"What are the four rules of blaster safety?" Kadral turned to her and questioned. It struck the girl off guard, but she quickly recovered.

"A blaster is always loaded. Never point the blaster at something you don't want to shoot. Keep your finger off the trigger until you're ready to kill your target. Always know what's behind your target," Vette rattled off, keeping count on her fingers.

"Good," the Mando nodded approvingly. "I don't want to have to escort you defenseless, but I don't want you to accidentally shoot me in the back." His eyes suddenly narrowed, and something started buzzing in the back of Vette's skull. "I also trust you won't _intentionally_ shoot me in the back, or anywhere else."

"Not unless you attack me first," Vette replied sincerely.

Kadral didn't seem bothered by her bold choice of words. "Good. Because if you try," his voice hardened to durasteel, "I promise that it will be the last thing you do. I may not be the best at mind probes, but the Force gives me a _very_ good sense for danger, and I have little tolerance for people who try to betray me." Feeling his companion had been sufficiently warned, he moved over to let Vette stand beside him in front of the lockbox. The little tomb raider smiled as she noticed several of the blasters were made by Hock and Kechler, one of her favorite manufacturers. Without hesitation, she grabbed a pair of USB-9 blaster pistols and began inspecting them. The way Vette handled the blaster, and the look on her face, told Kadral all he needed to know.

"You've used those before," he observed.

"I had a set before I was captured. Absolutely loved them," Vette gushed. "But, they weren't match grade like these. I've always wanted to try some that were."

"I'm glad you've got something you're familiar with," Kadral smiled. "You use them simultaneously?"

"At closer ranges, yeah," she confirmed, still turning the weapons over in her hands. Kadral's eyebrows rose. He knew very few people who could competently handle two blasters at once. It wasn't impossible; some of the Fett clan were known to do it, but it was quite rare. He couldn't sense that Vette was blatantly lying, but decided to confirm her claims before they went anywhere truly dangerous. Another thought struck him.

"We're going to need to requisition you some clothes and armor," he noted.

"Yeah," Vette agreed, plucking at her loose shirt. Then, a thought hit her. "It's gonna be that red and black stuff, right?" Her tone didn't imply she was excited about that thought.

"I'm afraid so," he replied. "But it's better than nothing."

"Do I have to wear armor? It's so restricting, and the color scheme," she grimaced. "What is it about red and black that you Imperials like so much?"

"I don't know about the rest of the Sith, but that's not why I wear those colors," Kadral said, moving over to his armor and picking up his helmet. He stared into the visor as he continued, "Mandalorians have a color code, of sorts, that some of us incorporate into our armor. It says what we fight for. The practice has fallen out of use, but I still follow it."

"What do your colors mean?" Vette asked. Kadral looked up at her.

"Black means 'Justice' and red means 'Honoring a Parent.' Combined, it's a reminder to me that I will follow the code of justice my parents taught me." Kadral sounded even more serious than he usually did, if that was possible.

"What about your gauntlet and helmet?" Vette inquired further.

"The helmet was a gift from my father. He wore it for years, and then passed it down to me when he got a new one." Vette detected an odd twinge of sadness in his voice, but let him continue. "The green stands for 'Duty'. It originally had blue highlights, but I painted them red to honor the fact that it was a gift from my father- and because it looks better."

 _Says the guy with bright gold gauntlets_ , Vette thought to herself as Kadral continued.

"It's funny. Blue stands for 'Reliability'. Duty and reliability weren't why he painted his armor blue and green originally, but they describe his life pretty accurately right now." An ironic note tinged his voice. Clearly, there was more behind his words, but now wasn't the time.

Kadral then picked up his gauntlets, which were gold with red engraving that gave it a more elegant style than the rest of his armor. "These, I inherited from my grandfather. He was Mandalore's best duelist, and taught me most of what I know about the sword." He added in a longing tone, "I miss him."

"I'm sorry for your loss," Vette sympathized.

"Thanks." He replied sincerely before continuing his train of thought. "Gold means vengeance." A fond smile appeared on his face as he chuckled, "Though, I think my grandfather just wore gold because he liked it."

Vette tried not to watch while Kadral donned his armor, but she failed miserably. She saw why the Mandalorians called it "iron skin:- it was masterfully molded to him, granting near full-body protection without interfering with his movements. Looking for a distraction, Vette decided to be productive by packing his backpack.

" _Vor'e_ ," Kadral said, noting her work. At Vette's odd look he clarified, "That means 'Thank You' in Mando'a."

"Got a pack for me?" Vette wondered.

"I'll have to requisition another one for you," Kadral replied, before putting on his helmet. He attached his lightsaber and a large Stuger Kitehawk pistol to his belt, then placed a long, wicked looking sword inside the scabbard on his back. Vette gave him an inquisitive look, which he suspected was due to his use of two blades.

"I use my lightsaber for cutting through most things, but the weight of my _beskad_ throws off a lot of opponents in duels," he explained, the helmet's speaker giving his words an unintentional, yet intimidating edge. "Blows hit harder, and I gain an advantage before they figure out how to respond."

"I assume that a _beskad_ is that sword you have on your back?" the Twi'lek clarified.

"Yes, though most _beskade_ are almost half a meter shorter." Kadral motioned to the room, changing the subject. "Anything else you need to grab?"

"I don't _have_ anything else to grab," Vette snorted, before commenting wryly. "Love the voice filter, by the way. It's so… you."

"I'm not sure if that's a compliment," Kadral observed suspiciously, "but that does remind me of something."

He walked over to yet another lockbox, a smaller one this time. Vette couldn't get a good look at what was inside, but she thought there might have been some slicing gear and maybe a jammer. The Mandalorian retrieved a small a small communicator and offered it to Vette. To her surprise, it had a multi-species earpiece that fit her ear-cone relatively well.

It didn't take Kadral too long to set up Vette's communicator with his helmet's systems. He motioned for her to speak, just to ensure everything functioned properly. She obliged happily. "So what do you want me to imitate?" Vette's voice came through clearly, confirming that the devices were linked. Vette grinned at the inquisitive tilt of Kadral's helmet.

Then, he remembered. She was referencing the first time they had met, when she was amusing herself by toying with Knash. The old jailor had hated her animal impressions, but it had been her resilience that earned Kadral's respect that day. The memory of Knash's electrical retribution reminded Kadral of something unpleasant fact that he'd almost overlooked.

"There's, uh, one more thing, Vette." He sighed, watching her good humor vanish at his tone. "I'm sorry, but you'll have to wear the collar."

Her disappointed silence was worse than anything she could have said.

"I'm really sorry," he repeated, lifting the device in his hands. "You still technically belong to the academy, and if they see you without a collar, they'll consider it a weakness on my part. Here," he offered the remote, taking a careful step towards the suspicious Twi'lek. "At least you know you won't get shocked."

"The shocks aren't the worst part about the collar," Vette informed him, still taking the remote and tucking it into a pocket. "And, for the record, I would have considered it a strength."

There was nothing Kadral could say to that- all he could do was accept his choice, and deal with the consequences later.

* * *

When they arrived, Vette and Kadral were greeted by the requisitions officer, a human woman in her mid-twenties who Kadral found to have a surprisingly helpful demeanor. He requested some clothes for his companion, and Vette informed the lieutenant of her sizes. As the officer left to retrieve them, Vette spoke up.

"So, what kind of armor am I getting?"

"Unfortunately, not _beskar_ ," Kadral replied over Vette's headset so that his voice wouldn't be distorted by his speaker. The fact that she was speaking to him again softened his frown, though his helmet hid the reaction. "Yours will probably just be durasteel. Good armor is pretty hard to find."

"I meant, are you going to make me wear a full set of armor, too?" she rephrased.

Kadral internally cringed at her choice of words. "The more armor you have, the less likely you are to die," he pointed out. "Why wouldn't you want a full set?"

"Well, I don't have a death wish, if that's what you're implying," the Twi'lek snipped. "I'm used to moving around a lot in a fight. For me, more armor means I'm a sitting target. And nothing is blaster-proof; just blaster-resistant."

The Mando bit down the automatic retort about _beskar_ being blaster-proof, and instead met her halfway. "How about just a breastplate to cover your torso?" he offered. "It'll keep most of the important parts safe, but allows freedom of movement."

"That'll work," Vette agreed, perking up at having won the argument. "The weight might take some getting used to, but I agree that I should keep my 'important parts' safe." Kadral might have missed Vette emphasizing his accidental double entendre if it weren't for her wink. "Still, try to make it as light as possible."

The door to the supply room suddenly opened, signaling the return of the requisitions officer. She thrust a bundle of clothes at Vette, who excused herself into a changing room. She emerged a minute later wearing a shirt and pair of pants that were less baggy than before. Kadral caught her old clothes when she tossed them his way and stowed them inside a compartment on his backpack.

"Is there anything else you or your slave need?" the officer asked.

Kadral didn't miss the look on Vette's face, but he shoved away his guilt and replied, "Yes. I'll need a breastplate for her, and a backpack loaded for a single-day expedition."

"And night vision goggles-" Vette cut in.

"Yes, my Lord," the woman said, surprised that the Sith was getting his rather mouthy slave armor, but knowing better than to voice such thoughts. She punched in the combination to open another door. "Right this way."

Inside the room were several types of armor, all the same shades of red and black. "What kind of armor do you need for your slave?"

"Vette can answer that," Kadral told her, motioning the Twi'lek forward.

"I need something light that won't hinder my movements if I need to dodge," Vette explained.

"We have scout armor," the officer informed her. "You said she just needs a breastplate?" The woman refused to address Vette personally, continually deferring to her Sith master. She hefted a vest from the shelf.

Vette took the armor from the woman. It was heavier than she expected, but not unbearably so. When she put it on, it fit relatively well, though nothing like Kadral's custom suit. Still, Vette found herself liking the sense of security the durasteel gave her. She and her gang had rarely been able to afford armor before, and a suit like the one she was wearing might have saved the lives of some of her friends.

Vette twisted and bent, testing her mobility. While her movements had more inertia, the plates weren't restrictive, with the stomach portion being scaled in a way that allowed her to retain almost all of her flexibility. Vette put on the backpack the officer brought. Its light-weight barely threw off her balance. Kadral thanked the officer for her time, and, fully outfitted, the two left for the garages.

* * *

Vette remained uncharacteristically quiet during the hour-long trip She had thanked him for the clothes and armor, but any attempt to strike up a conversation quickly petered out. Kadral was left alone with his thoughts, which kept going back to the hurt on Vette's face when he told her that she'd need to put back on the collar. Her words kept echoing in his head. " _The shocks aren't the worst part about the collar. I would have considered it a strength._ "

"What do you think of me as?" Vette's real voice cut into his thoughts. "Am I your slave?"

Kadral bristled at her accusation. "Of course you're not my slave. I told you, Mandalorians don't keep slaves."

"And yet here I am. Wearing a slave collar against my will," the Twi'lek countered.

"It's not like you'll get shocked," Kadral retorted, even though he knew that argument meant little to her.

"Getting shocked isn't what makes someone a slave. It's having no say in what people do with you."

"Having no say?" Kadral's voice took on a dark edge. "Three days ago, Baras forced me to kill my old master, Overseer Tremmel, the man who had gone behind Baras's back to train me. When Baras found out, he ordered me to kill my master. Baras is cunning. He knew that Tremmel would be forced to either die by my hand, or kill his own master scheme. Tremmel was one of the few here who showed me a modicum of kindness. He was responsible for getting me to Korriban, and I had to kill him."

Kadral flinched at Vette's expression of horror. "I knew that Baras would see the truth of my actions, and that he'd kill me for if I lied. The duel was tough, but Tremmel was a teacher, not a fighter. My only comfort is that I was able to give him a clean, painless death. So yeah, don't talk to me about having no say."

"Just because you know what I'm going through doesn't give you the right to tell me I can't talk about it." Vette continued unabashedly. "I don't know much about _Aliit Mav_ , but I've read up on its founder. He used to be a slave, but he didn't use that as an excuse to become a slaver himself. He decided to right the wrongs he could." The Twi'lek knew she was taking a huge risk when she brought other Mandalorians into the discussion, and she didn't miss Kadral's hand forming into a fist. She crossed her arms defiantly, letting her temper match his.

It took Kadral a lot of willpower to keep from striking Vette at the mention of his father, though she had no way of knowing who the founder of _Aliit Mav_ was to Kadral. The young warrior looked at Vette's armor, its black and red color scheme unintentionally mirroring his own, and knew that striking her would be neither just nor honoring to his parents. In fact, it would be the complete opposite.

Kadral liked to think that he was a Mandalorian first and Sith second, if at all. But, at that moment, he knew that wasn't the case. Vette would be a turning point for him. Kadral stood at a fork in life with only two options available to him: would he care more about his status in the Empire, or as a Mandalorian? The simplicity of the question stunned him even as he considered its complexities, and as the speeder arrived at its destination, he felt as though his choice would be required soon.

As the speeder's pilot droid shut the vehicle down, Kadral looked at the tomb where his and Vette's treasures lay- along with a trap from his rival acolyte. The entrance had been carved in the shape of a monstrous mouth, and the brutal winds had eroded it into a maw likely more grotesque than its original appearance. His thoughts from the speeder still weighed heavily on him, but now was not the time to ponder his status as an Imperial or Mandalorian; it was the time for action. Right now, he needed Vette, and he needed her alive.

Kadral pulled the brace of USP-9s from his pack, along with a pair of holsters, and handed them to Vette. The Twi'lek seemed surprised that he was still arming her, but made no comment. As Vette fastened the weapons to her hips, Kadral pulled out his own blaster pistol and fired several shots into the rock face, leaving a long line of blackened marks in their wake.

"Prove that you can dual wield," he ordered, tilting his head towards Vette. She grinned and whipped out her weapons and opened fire. The Twi'lek was a tad rusty, but she managed to hit all of the targets within a hand's breadth. Her movements told Kadral that he was dealing with someone who didn't need to look down the sights, and instead could aim with muscle memory- a rare talent.

"Good job," Kadral voiced with real approval. Vette picked up on the hint of awe, and smiled to herself. Things were still chilly between the two, but they were forced to rely on each other to acquire their treasures.

Side by side, Kadral and Vette were swallowed by the monster's throat.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter-3**

* * *

 **AN: I'm sorry for the delay. I just finished finals, and am now looking for a job, so I have not idea what my schedule will be this summer. As it is, I hope to keep updating at a semi-regular pace. As always, thanks so much to Cinlat for betaing this.**

* * *

The interior of the tomb was dim, but it wasn't nearly as bad as Kadral had feared. Crystals imbued with the Force were ensconced into the walls and placed on pedestals, providing just enough light to guide visitors, while ensuring that the interior had a sufficiently grim ambiance.

"Nice of this Sadow guy to keep the place lit," Vette observed. "You usually have to bring your own light into these old tombs, but night vision goggles should make this place feel like daylight. I assume that fancy visor has night vision?"

Kadral nodded as Vette stopped and removed her pack, then opened up the main compartment. Inside were the goggles she'd requested. "Whew," the Twi'lek sighed in relief. "After the look that woman gave me when I asked for these, I was afraid she wouldn't put them in."

"Look?" Kadral inquired.

"Yeah, I don't think she's used to slaves speaking out of turn," Vette answered with a derisive snort. "I guess she only added them because she didn't want to piss you off."

"Now is not the time." Kadral stopped the conversation, picking up on the passive-aggressive undertone of Vette's comments. However, they gave him pause. Now that he thought about it, the lieutenant _had_ treated Vette differently from the way she treated him. _Now is not the time_ , he repeated to himself, shaking his head slightly. They had a lightsaber to find.

"So, how are we getting into the chamber?" Kadral asked to change the subject. "And what do we need to look out for?"

"There are three statues with buttons scattered throughout the tomb. Those trigger a false wall to open," Vette answered, the ice in her voice being the only indicator that she didn't approve of Kadral's dismissal of her complaints.

"And threats?" Kadral reiterated, choosing to ignore her frosty behavior in favor of their shared goal.

"Besides your Sithy friend, we shouldn't have to worry about anything worse than the occasional K'lor'slug pack and some ancient guard droids. I saw more than a few dead bodies here." Vette shivered at the memory. "I don't know how you Sith keep up your numbers with all the acolytes you lose on this hell-hole."

"The training regimen here is far too harsh," Kadral agreed. "Losses during trials such as these are indicative of failures on the teacher's part, not the student's."

"Well, I don't want to become one of those 'losses.' Let's go." Vette started down the corridor, Kadral trailing behind her. Both had their weapons in hand- the Twi'lek with her blasters, and the Mandalorian his unlit lightsaber.

"How do you know where to go?" Kadral asked his partner after the seventh turn. He would have been lost had his helmet's computer not been creating a map as they went.

"I've been here before," she replied. "And the tomb itself isn't too tricky to navigate anyway. Whoever designed it took inspiration from a lot of other tombs I've visited- or vice versa." Her tone was a bit softer; the talkative Twi'lek was having trouble continuing to give Kadral the cold shoulder. "There was this one tomb on-"

A hideous shriek cut her off as the floor began to vibrate. K'lor'slugs, more than Vette had ever seen at one time, began clawing out of a section of crumbled wall. As the Twi'lek explorer started firing, Kadral lept into action. A violet blade so dark its core was almost black sprung from the cylinder in his hand, bisecting the first creature he fell upon. Vette had to watch her fire as he waded into the middle of the swarm, his saber a whirling scythe of death. She noticed that the Mandalorian would rarely try to dodge attacks, instead positioning his body so that a claw or bite would glance ineffectually off of one of his armored plates.

The slaughter was quick, with Vette's sharpshooting and Kadral's wide strokes creating an efficient combination. As Kadral plunged his saber into the the last worm, Vette ran the back of her hand across her brow, wiping away the sweat that had accumulated. She was glad that the interior of the tombs were significantly cooler than the desert outside.

Kadral walked over to her with a spring in his step, and the smell of burnt bug clinging to his armor. "You did well," he complimented.

"I aim to please," she replied. Vette couldn't see her partner's face, but was sure his lips had quirked at her pun. "So… are you going to keep any of that?" she gestured at the pile of bug corpses. "I think some of it's already cooked."

A genuine chuckle resonated through her headset, surprising the Twi'lek. The memories of K'lor'slug stew and half smiles took Vette back to the night before, when things had been so different. As the two continued along the corridor, Vette started thinking about all the other masters she could have been stuck with. There were a lot of things that could have gone wrong for her. So far, the only objectional thing Kadral had forced on her was that damned slave's collar. She realized that giving him the cold shoulder had been unfair, and her comment about _Aliit Mav_ was probably uncalled for, too.

"I'm sorry," Vette whispered up after a pause. "You've been far better than any other master I could have been stuck with, and I haven't thanked you for that. I still don't like wearing the collar, but I won't hold that against you. It wouldn't be fair after all you've done for me." Vette's face burned with the admission, all the way down to the tips of her lekku, and she hoped Kadral wasn't looking at her. It was hard, thanking someone for being a fair master, while still technically being their slave. But, for the sake of staying alive, Vette could swallow her pride and make the best of it. For now.

Kadral's "It's good" was less of a reaction than what Vette had hoped for, but she had no way of knowing the conflict in his mind. Her words had been exactly what the acolyte had hoped to hear; he didn't like the collar any more than she did, but it was necessary. Or so he tried to convince himself. But the persistent sense of guilt remained, and even Vette's acceptance did little to assuage it.

 _Now is not the time_ , he told himself yet again. That phrase was quickly becoming Kadral's personal mantra. One he knew he could not continue to repeat. A minute later, they arrived at a room with a large statue of a kneeling figure with outstretched hands and several indentations in the wall housing coffins. Work, that was the perfect distraction to assuage his mind of guilt.

"Careful," Vette warned. "There are guard droids. Millenia old, but they have some sort of self-repair function."

As if on cue, several photoreceptors lit up in the shadows, and out stepped six droids, servo motors whirring as they twirled staffs made of an unknown material. Vette had both of her blasters in hand in a blink, unloading on the nearest droid, which collapsed under the barrage.

Kadral, meanwhile, had made the unwelcomed discovery that the droid's staffs were resistant to his lightsaber, likely because of Sith alchemy. Their programming also was much better than he'd expect from such old droids, and Kadral soon found himself outflanked by the tomb guardians while Vette took out her second target.

Thinking quickly, the Mandalorian switched tactics and leapt backwards before using the Force to push the droids away. He then drew his sidearm and added its crimson bolts to Vette's green storm. Designed to fight Jedi and Sith intruders, the remaining four droids withered under their combined assault, finally collapsing to the ground. Smoke wisped up from glowing holes that peppered their frames, and Vette let out a cheer.

"That was a lot harder last time," she commented with a flippant air that Kadral was sure was all bluster. She walked up to the statue and pressed under its armpit. "That's the first switch. Two more to go and we should get in."

"How did you know that there was a button there, and that it would open the secret door?" Kadral inquired, peering closely at the statue. He never would have seen it if he hadn't known exactly where to look.

"Some friends and I found some papers on Ryloth talking about Darth Nalot," the Twi'lek explained. "They didn't have a map, but they described what to expect and how to manipulate the statues well enough."

"Actual papers? That's not something you see every day," Kadral noted. "Did you come alone? You mentioned friends…"

"I was the smallest in my group, and the only one we could smuggle to Korriban," Vette answered in a voice that wavered under the weight of unshed tears. "They probably think I'm dead. It's been so long since I've seen them." The Twi'lek swallowed and blinked rapidly to clear the blurriness in her eyes.

Kadral, falling back on lessons of his father comforting his mother slipped an arm around Vette's shoulders. Her small form stiffened with the instinct to flee the unfamiliar contact, and Kadral instantly second guessed the wisdom of such an action. They stood that way for what felt like an eternity, indecision warring with the still human desire to ensure his companion felt at ease. Eventually, Vette shook herself, straightened, and gently disentangled herself from his grasp. Together, the continued through the passageways in silence. Female emotions were not something that Kadral generally had to deal with. The woman in his class were mostly Sith, and males were more often faced with their wrath than tears. Kadral had memories of his father comforting his mother from childhood, but imagined that Vetter would be less likely to invite the arms of a Sith acolyte around her. Still, her sadness burned in his chest, driving the need to comfort his companion in whatever way he could. In the end, Kadral decided on a friendly hand on the Twi'lek's shoulder, offering a polite squeeze to let her know that he understood.

To his surprise, Vette didn't flinch under his touch. She even offered a pleasant smile in return, before taking a ragged breath and shaking herself as if to expel the unwanted emotions.

* * *

Several minutes and multiple twists and turns later, they found themselves in another room similar to the one that had housed the first statue, although, this time, the statue depicted a robed man extending an upturned hand. Inside were another half dozen guard droids, which Vette and Kadral handled the same way. After the last droid hit the ground, Vette walked up to the statue and pressed another button, this time on the figure's palm.

"Are you sure this is doing anything?" Kadral asked.

"Pretty sure. To be honest, I haven't gotten past this part," Vette admitted.

"What?" Kadral nearly sputtered the words.

"Right here was where that acolyte jumped me," Vette explained as if it were nothing more than a minor inconvenience. "I never had a chance to push the button. But I know it'll work," she quickly added. "The papers showed me where the first two buttons were. I can't see a reason they'd be wrong about the last half."

"Fair enough," Kadral agreed. "Did those papers tell you anything about this Darth Nalot?" he inquired as they headed towards the last statue.

"They say she was once a pleasure slave, but was trained and eventually freed by Sadow." Vette picked her way through the tomb without pausing her speech. "She rose through the ranks of the Sith, and became famous for her skills at mind control. She was buried here with most of her possessions, including a necklace she had made from the finest of Ryloth's gems. It's a priceless piece of jewelry and Twi'lek history."

"Interesting," Kadral noted as the corridor flared into the room housing the third and final statue. It was much larger than the first two, depicting a Twi'lek female who Kadral guessed to be Darth Nalot. Whoever she was, she definitely seemed to favor… skimpier attire. Kadral found it oddly difficult to look away, but a nudge from Vette brought his attention back to his surroundings. Instead of more droids, he found nine pairs of Sith-yellow eyes staring at him from the shadows. Reaching out with the Force, Kadral sensed an unnerving madness in each of their presences. They emerged, wielding swords that looked similar to the staves the droids had used.

 _They must have scavenged them from this statue's guardians_ , Kadral thought.

One of the acolytes stepped forward to speak for the group. "The Twi'lek returns," he stated solemnly. "She shall lead us to the Lady."

"Do you know this guy?" Kadral murmured.

"I think he's the guy who dragged me to the academy," she replied in a similarly quiet tone. The man's features looked vaguely similar, but his skin was almost white, and his face seemed slightly deformed.

"I sense your thoughts," the leader said. "Yes, I was the acolyte who took you to the academy, but I heard the Lady's call and returned."

"Sith mind control," Kadral muttered. "Just what this day needed." He raised his voice so the group of acolytes could hear him. "And what do you plan to do with me?"

The leader appeared shocked to hear such a statement. "You shall join us, of course. You will know the joy of service to the Lady."

"Uh-huh." Kadral was fed up with this insanity and ready to leave the cursed tomb. "And when I don't?"

For a second, the leader seemed to not understand, then his eyes narrowed. "If you will not follow our Lady, then you will die."

Kadral needed no more encouragement. His _beskad_ appeared in his hand in the blink of an eye, and by then the first three acolytes were upon him.

Vette was unable to fire into the melee Kadral was now engaged in, but there were several other acolytes approaching more slowly, chanting something about "You will know the lady." Lightning arced up their arms, and Vette knew what was going to happen next. She opened fire, killing two before the others caught on. They turned towards her, still chanting, and began to block her blaster bolts with their swords.

Slowly, the acolytes moved closer.

By now, Kadral had felled one opponent, and absorbed a blow with his gauntlet that allowed him to knock another back with the Force. Vette took advantage of the distraction, putting a bolt in center mass, before turning her fire back on the four advancing acolytes. The deluge slowed the madmen, but didn't stop them.

Kadral blocked a sweeping strike from the leader, whose more recent turn to insanity meant he still had enough of his faculties to give the Mandalorian a good fight. Fortunately, with only one opponent left, Kadral was able to shift from defense to offense and quickly began pushing the leader back.

A jolt of Force lightning stunned Kadral momentarily, a scream of pain telling him that Vette had made sure that whoever shocked him paid for it with his life. Unfortunately, the temporary stun meant that the leader was able to land a powerful blow that cut through the armorweave between the _beskar_ plates on Kadral's leg. Gritting his teeth against the pain, Kadral drew on the Force and rained down attacks until the leader's guard slipped, and the man fell to a decapitating strike.

The Mandalorian heard a yell, and realized that the remaining three acolytes had almost reached Vette. Drawing from the pain of his wound, his anger at seeing Vette attacked, and something else that he couldn't place, the young Sith wrapped his partner's attackers in tendrils of the Force and yanked all three towards him. Vette shot one in the back while he flew helplessly through the air, while the other two were cut in half by a single swift strike from Kadral. With all of the threats finally eliminated, Kadral stopped channeling the Force through his body. As soon as he did, pain from the wound on his leg flared, and his knee buckled.

"Are you okay?" Vette asked, her voice full of concern as she rushed to his side.

"Yeah," Kadral grunted, directing the Force back through the gash, and moved to the statue's pedestal. There, he took off his backpack and sat down. Rifling through the first aid kit mounted on the side, he found a kolto patch and applied it.

After his wound was dressed, Kadral stood up and tested his leg again. It hurt, but the pain made it easier to draw on the Force to counteract the impairment such an injury should cause. "So where's the button?" he inquired.

"The papers didn't actually say," Vette mused, her attention on the statue.

Kadral once again found himself staring at the figure. Something about it held his attention. Something more than just the erotic appearance. A warning buzzed in the back of Kadral's mind.

"Hey!" Vette shouted. "Snap out of it!"

Kadral wrenched his eyes from the stone Twi'lek and over to the real one. "It must be Nalot," his partner explained. "Remember? She was a master of mind control. There's probably some sithy thing going on with the statue. I don't think you heard me the first time, but I think that the last switch has to do with her lekku. They don't match the emotions on her face, though only a Twi'lek would notice. I'm going to investigate." She stepped out of Kadral's view. "Don't look at it."

Now aware of the danger he had been in, Kadral put his back to the sculpture and steeled his mind. Most mind control only worked when the victim was unaware, and he was now actively searching himself to ensure that there weren't any more artificial influences. "Wait," Kadral called out. "Why aren't you affected?"

"Must follow the Lady," Vette droned.

Kadral tensed, a cursed on the tip of his tongue, when Vette sniggered. "Just kidding!" she added before her concerned partner could turn around.

"Not funny," he growled.

"Sorry," Vette apologized. "I couldn't resist."

Kadral rolled his eyes at the bad pun.

"I'm not sure why I'm not affected. Maybe it's because I'm a Twi'lek, or because I'm not Force sensitive." Vette continued as she searched the statue. "Perhaps she tuned the curse to target people similar to the ones who had hurt her as a slave. It's probably best not to think about it."

A grunt, followed by scraping and a click, came from behind Kadral. The grating of stone to his right indicated the opening of a hidden door. He turned toward the noise and saw the last of a segment of the wall as it retreated into the ceiling, revealing a corridor. When they entered it, they saw that it was lined with several odd panels, ending with a series of steps. At the top, resided a large stone coffin with a heavy lid.

"You know, I'd have expected to see Vemrin by now," Kadral remarked. "Maybe he got killed by the acolytes. Keep an eye out as I open this box."

The young Sith reached out with the Force and lifted the lid, gently placing it on the ground. The coffin was mostly empty, as the body had turned to dust centuries ago. All it contained were a few pieces of metal- likely from some sort of outfit, a headpiece of some kind, and, to Kadral and Vette's delight, a lightsaber and a large necklace nestled within. Both were studded with gems that made each piece worth a small fortune.

As they removed the treasures, headpiece included, a loud thud caused them to spin around. The door to the entrance had dropped, sealing them in. With a scraping creak, the odd panels in the corridor opened, and eight droids stepped out, each wielding a pair of daggers. Vette and Kadral drew their blasters to open fire like before, but the droids managed to dodge their shots with spins and ducks that looked surprisingly like dancing.

Kadral holstered his pistol and ignited Darth Nalot's saber, which was still in his hand. A blood-red blade emerged, and he lept toward the first droid. The others converged on the Sith, but their divided attention allowed Vette's bolts to land true. One droid fell after a lucky hit struck its power core, but others took multiple bolts and were barely slowed.

One stumbled, and Kadral took the opportunity to strike it with a Force-enhanced punch as he simultaneously blocked a pair of slashes from another droid. The blow decapitated its target, and the droid fell to the ground where it was trampled by its brethren.

Two of the remaining droids disengaged from Kadral to advance towards Vette. Thinking quickly, she dove to the side and heard the ripping sound of a dagger tearing through her pack. Thankfully, the blade was stopped by her armor. As the Twi'lek regained her feet, she shot one of the droids in the knee, crippling it. A final shot to the head ended its threat as Kadral Force-pulled the other droid away from her, priming it for another headshot.

Just when it looked like the four droids swarming the Mandalorian would make him pay for his distraction, he channeled a massive pulse of Force energy from his palm into the ground, creating a shockwave that scattered the droids. Kadral lunged at the one in front of him, his lightsaber's reach allowing him to disable his target before it could react.

Vette, meanwhile, had unleashed a torrent of blaster fire into the droid nearest her, causing it to fail in its attempt to get up from where it had been thrown to the ground. Kadral turned his attention to one of the last two droids, but it had already recovered from the Force pulse, and was putting up a good fight. Weaving and swaying in a seemingly random way, the droid kept Kadral from landing a blow.

Distracted, he didn't notice the other droid sneaking up behind him. Vette knew that it was risky. The droid was too close to Kadral, but she had to take the shot. Overcharging her powercore, Vette took aim, breathed, then squeezed the trigger. The bolt struck its target in the back, destroying its critical systems.

At that moment Kadral snarled in frustration with his inability to land a blow and gestured upwards with an open hand, which he then clenched into a fist. As he did so, the final droid was lifted into the air, where it was crumpled like a tin can.

"Wow," Vette marveled. "I didn't know you could do that."

"Neither did I," Kadal admitted. Both of them were still a bit giddy from the adrenaline, causing them to laugh uncontrollably.

"I couldn't have done this without you," Vette thanked him when the laughter died down.

"I doubt I would have survived without your help either," Kadral agreed. "I've never seen droids move like that."

"I think they were programmed with moves from Twi'lek dances," Vette observed, toeing one of the metallic dancers. "It seems surprisingly effective. I might have to try it myself sometime."

"That'd be a sight to see," Kadral chuckled as he followed Vette toward the door. He put Nalot's saber away and drew his own, using it to cut a hole in the wall blocking their exit. With that obstacle out of the way, he focused on his partner as they entered the room with the cursed statue. His eyes were drawn to the slave collar on her neck. Guilt swelled in his mind, and he decided that maybe now was the time to examine his motives.

 _You've done so much for her. She owes this to you_ , part of him argued. _She even said she's okay with it. Besides, if Baras thinks you're weak, will he take you as his apprentice?_

 _All she has left is her pride._ The other half of him countered. _You have no right to take that from her._

Before his thoughts could go any further, they were interrupted by a jolting impact to the back of his helmet. He turned around to see Vemrin dropping a large sniper rifle and drawing the warblade from his back. The other acolyte seemed drunk, swaying back and forth. Then, Kadral noticed that the ground also moved in an unnatural way. _Starting me off with head trauma. Clever_ , he thought as he drew his _beskad_ and prepared to fight.

* * *

 **AN: Clifhangers... I hate reading them, but see their use. Fortunately, I'll be releasing the next chapter in a few weeks, regardless of how much writing I get done (I've already written it, but like to keep a few chapters unpublished in case I need to go back and edit something for story purposes)**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

* * *

 **AN: The story continues. Told you I'd publish this soon. Thanks, Cinlat, for betaing this and giving advice on the concussion.**

* * *

 **Mandoa word:**

 _ **Shabuir**_ **: Extreme insult. Like 'jerk,' but stronger.**

* * *

Kadral cursed his stupidity and lack of awareness as the world spun around him. He watched Vemrin stalk forward, energized warblade crackling in hand. The acolyte's mouth was moving, but Kadral could only make out a few words- something about, "Waiting for this moment," and "Baras will finally see who is superior." The Mandalorian would have rolled his eyes if he'd trusted vision. The man was monologuing. To add injury to insult, Kadral could barely stand, much less shut the _shabuir_ up. Hoping the dizziness would wear off soon, Kadral brought his blade into a guard position, the quality of his stance born from reflex, instead of conscious thought. The fear of death, a familiar friend, entered Kadral's mind for the first time since entering the tombs. Vemrin was an incredibly talented bladesman. His skill was often touted at the academy, and Kadral had seen enough matches to know that very little of it was exaggerated. With his armor and superior weapon, Kadral thought he could take him in a normal situation, but Vemrin had been unexpectedly cunning, stooping to what many Sith would consider an "uncivilized" weapon to give him the advantage.

Vemrin's face lost its sneer when he finished talking, settling into a hard look that told Kadral any hope of his enemy underestimating him would be for naught. Vemrin leapt forward, his warblade flashing as Kadral adjusted his _beskad_ to block the blow that never came. The acolyte's expression changed mid-air when an emerald beam of plasma ripped through his chest, redirecting the man's trajectory so that he landed in a crumpled and very dead heap beside Kadral. The confused Mandalorian looked over at Vette, who was lowering a still-smoking blaster. All Kadral managed was a weak, "Thanks," before the adrenaline once again drained from his system, and he collapsed unconscious beside Vemrin.

Vette started forward as her companion fell to the ground when a thought occurred to her. She was free. There was nothing keeping her from escaping from the tombs and smuggling herself onto the next transport far away from this hellhole. She had everything she came for. _Thanks to him,_ she thought, cursing the treacherous voice in the back of her mind. Despite her bluster, Vette knew that there was no way she would have made it to her prize without Kadral's help. She had repaid him by saving his life, but leaving him here in his current state would simply condemn the man to death again. She was better than that. Kadral had sworn to take the necklace to her friends, and Vette felt she could trust his promise.

Walking over to her fallen friend, Vette opened the compartment on his pack that he had taken the kolto patch from. After a bit of searching, she found a vial of smelling salts and a small flashlight. Once she closed the compartment, Vette began struggling to roll the Mandalorian over. His armor felt like it had doubled his weight, but she eventually managed. Reaching under his helmet, Vette found a clasp that, with some fiddling, she managed to release. She pulled off the helmet, which fortunately contained no vomit, and waved the vial under his nose. Kadral's breathing increased rapidly, and soon he began stirring. His eyes fluttered open in time for Vette to blind him with the flashlight. To her relief, the pupils were dilating correctly.

The sharp burn of ammonia assaulted Kadral's senses, and blackness became a blinding white. He scrunched his eyes closed until the burning light went away. When he peeked out again, a blur of blue focused into the concerned face of Vette. Vette his slave. Kadral knew that there was no other word for how he had treated the Twi'lek. He had been a benevolent master, but he had been a master nonetheless. Kadral had been mentally comparing the Sith way and Mandalorian ways, but the answer was before him now. Vemrin's corpse lay at Kadral's side, his death at the hand of the same Twi'lek who had revived her master, even though she had every right to leave him to die. The Sith way was of lonely dominance, while Mandalorians depended on the strength of many. The latter was clearly superior. As the last levee dropped in his mind, a wave of guilt washed over him. "Take the collar off," he told Vette, or tried to. In his current state, all he could offer was a meaningless mumbling, but the relief on Vette's face was perfectly clear. Kadral worked his jaw a bit and tried again. "Take that damned collar off."

After hours of stoic grumpiness, Kadral's sudden passion caught Vette off guard. "Do what?" she asked, worried that his odd behavior after a head injury might indicate a problem after all, even though she was happy to hear that at least some part of his brain didn't like the collar any more than she did. Vette noticed that Kadral was trying to sit up, and offered her hand to pull him into an upright position. Kadral was silent for a minute before he spoke up again. "I-I've been thinking for a while. I had no right to put you in that blasted thing. It goes against everything I claim to stand for. I don't- I don't want to end up like him," Kadral weakly gestured towards Vemrin's body. "The people who served him did so out of fear. Most of them would have never saved his life. I don't know why you saved mine.

"Take the collar off," he repeated for the third time. "Not because you saved my life, but because you never should have worn it in the first place. Sith opinion shouldn't be what I care about."

"Th- Thank you," Vette stammered, shocked by his words. She wasn't going to complain, though. Instead, she pulled out the remote and used it to remove the cursed device from her neck. When Vette turned her attention back to Kadral, the young Sith was trying to stand up. "Nuh-uh," she ordered, pushing him back down. "You need to rest for a bit. If some bugs come, then we'll take care of them. Otherwise, you're taking it easy. Baras can wait."

Kadral reluctantly braced his back against a wall, stretching his legs in front of him with a sigh. "Baras." He spoke the word like it had spoiled. "I don't know what I'm going to do about him. He didn't technically give you to me. I think you're just on loan." The Mandalorian was quiet for a moment. "What do you think it'd cost to buy you? I'm not exactly sure what the going rate on slaves are, only that slaver camps tend to have a fair number of credits."

"Pleasure slaves aren't cheap," Vette murmured, the thought of having to go back into captivity after tasting freedom again was torture. Though, Kadral's naive willingness to buy her was a nice gesture. "I'd probably go for 120,000 credits. If you're clever, you might be able to knock the price down to 100 grand."

"Twelve Krill? I can do that," Kadral answered without hesitation, though his face probably betrayed his surprise at such a large number. Kadral knew that he'd probably be spending the last of the bounty money he'd saved up, and had to push back the natural sting that came with the thought of paying so many credits. He owed this to Vette for saving his life. Perhaps selfishly, he also hoped that Vette would travel with him if he could find a way to employ her as a mercenary. Kadral had enjoyed his short stint with the Twi'lek more than the cumulative time spent with any other acolyte in the academy and was beginning to feel a connection, one he knew was worth such an investment.

"You'd do that for me?" Vette spluttered in shock. "But… why?"

"You saved my life, for one. That's not something I take lightly," Kadral pointed out. "And I enjoy your company. Regardless of what you do when I free you, I'd like to stay in touch, if you don't mind."

"I wouldn't mind staying in touch," Vette admitted. "But why me? I'm nothing special."

"You're special to me," Kadral countered. At Vette's odd look, he gave an awkward cough and clarified, "That sounded different from how I intended. I meant that I haven't really met anyone else like you, and wouldn't mind getting to know you better."

Vette blushed, but didn't reply. Instead, she changed the subject. "How's your head doing?"

"Better," Kadral answered. "It still hurts, but sitting here won't do anything about it."

* * *

After making sure they had gathered their packs and scattered gear, the duo headed towards the exit. Their return trip was unhindered, though they both noticed that the statues they passed on the way out were suspiciously devoid of droid parts. When they finally made it to the exit, Kadral booted up the speeder's pilot droid, and they headed back toward the academy. This time, the hour of travel had a much lighter atmosphere.

"So, where did you get so many credits?" Vette queried. Most people would be very lucky to earn what she was worth in two years.

"A friend of mine and I were bounty hunters for a while before I joined the Sith," Kadral explained. "People are worth a lot alive, but dead pays well, too."

"That's… one way to earn a living," Vette replied, glancing uneasily out over the terrain as they passed.

Noticing her wary tone, Kadral clarified. "I do have standards, you know. Often, a mark's value and how much he deserves death go hand in hand."

"I guess you might have a point," Vette conceded. She knew that the highest bounties were usually put on the worst scum, and had even collected a few creds on a slaver who had angered the local crime boss. That said, she was unsure of how she felt about him killing for a living, but such a discussion could be saved for later. "Still, how'd a young guy like you get those big bounties?"

"My mom keeps the books for my dad, and she would often send my friend and I bounties she knew that we could handle. Ration bar?" Kadral paused to wave a ration bar at Vette after digging through his pack. With all of the excitement in the tomb, she'd forgotten to eat, but now her stomachs were viciously complaining. The Twi'lek devoured her bar before Kadral could take his wrapper off. Still unsated, she explored her own pack until she found another bar, which she also scarfed with gusto.

* * *

Eventually, the speeder made it back to the academy. Kadral triumphantly headed towards Lord Baras's office, Vette keeping close pace behind him. As he approached his destination with Darth Nalot's lightsaber in hand, a woman he recognized as Overseer Tremmel's daughter confronted him.

"Murderer!" Eskella accused, extending her warblade in a sign of challenge. "My father was unorthodox in his methods, and he was especially hard on me, but he was my blood. Did you think you could kill him and get away with it?"

"And where did you hear this?" Kadral responded, hoping to diffuse the situation. The fact that Tremmel's blood was on his hands had plagued him continuously, and he didn't want to have to kill his daughter as well.

"It's no secret that Lord Baras ordered you to do it!" she exclaimed.

"Then why don't you take it up with Baras?" Kadral suggested. His tone softened, "I didn't want to kill your father. He was a great man."

"Yet that didn't stay your hand. DIE, YOU SON OF A HUTT!" Eskella leapt forward, igniting her war blade. Training took over, and Kadral met her attack with Nalot's now activated saber. It was Kadral's skill versus Eskella's raw emotion, which was fueling her connection to the Dark Side.

Time stretched as the two traded blows for, until Eskella made a critical mistake. She paid for it with the loss of her hand. A split second later, a slash across the woman's chest ended the fight for good. Kadral's shoulders sagged as he shut off his lightsaber. Orderlies who had been attracted by the sound of fighting took the body away as if it were just another normal day.

Kadral's helmet tilted in Vette's direct as she approached. "I didn't want to kill her," he said over their private channel, though Vette wasn't sure who he was talking to. "I could have ended the fight when I cut off her hand, but I've seen that look too many times here. I knew she'd keep hunting me until one of us was dead." He sighed, visibly shouldering the burden of death. "That doesn't make me feel much better, though."

Vette put her hand on his shoulder in an attempt to offer any comfort she could. The armor plating kept Kadral from feeling her touch, but did nothing to soften the intent of her gesture. Reluctantly, the acolyte continued towards Lord Baras's office. "Come on, let's finish this."

When Kadral opened the door, he found Darth Baras facing away from him, staring out the window at the barren wasteland. "I see that you survived Vemrin's ambush." The Sith Lord spoke before turning. "Well done."

The false eyes of his mask seemed to stare into Kadral's soul, but he fought down the feeling of uneasiness he knew it was designed to give. "Tell me. What is the Sith Code?"

"Peace is a lie, there is only passion," Kadral, began. "Through passion, I gain strength. Through strength, I gain power. Through power, I gain victory. Through victory, my chains are broken. The Force shall free me."

'Very good," Baras nodded, the lilt of his voice conveying approval even if the mask hid the man's features. "Through your passion, you achieved victory over your opponent. Show me the lightsaber of Darth Nalot."

Kadral flipped the cylinder and extended it hilt-first to Baras. Baras inspected the weapon, before igniting it to admire the crimson blade. "You have done well." The words came out as a self-satisfied sigh. As if Kadral's victory had been Baras's doing all along. "You proved that you are the best student here, and are worthy to become my apprentice. You shall be my Fist, and shall execute my will upon the galaxy."

The emotionless mask Baras had chosen for his visage jerked up to meet Kadral's. "Board the next transport to Dromund Kaas, where you will begin your training under me. And, in congratulations for your new position, I give you the Twi'lek slave. You may do with her as you see fit." Baras deactivated the blade and turned his back on Kadral. "Now leave, I have matters to attend to before I meet you on Dromund Kaas."

Kadral turned and left Baras's chambers, Vette following close behind. "Well he's creepy," the Twi'lek whispered over the comm when they were out of sight.

"And he's also apparently my master," Kadral noted. He had known this would happen, but still wasn't sure what to make of the situation.

"Is that a good thing or a bad thing?" Vette asked, glancing over her shoulder in the direction of Baras's office.

"I don't know yet," Kadral replied after a pause, his tone thoughtful. "I suppose from the perspective of a bounty hunter, it just means I'm now an enforcer, which can actually be a pretty nice job if you have a good employer."

The daily shuttle had already left, so Kadral suggested retiring back to his quarters for the evening. The new apprentice was too exhausted from to cook anything particularly good, so they resorted to boxed pasta.

"Same plan with the showers?" Vette asked.

"Go ahead," Kadral told her as he put the water on to boil. While he waited, he pulled out a datapad and sent a message to his family. He didn't share too many details, just a bit about Vette, his new apprenticeship, and that he was headed to Dromund Kaas in the morning. Soon after he hit the send button, he heard the water start to boil.

Kadral sensed Vette emerge from the bathroom just before the dish was finished. "Everything will just take a few more minutes to cook," Kadral informed her. When he turned around, he saw that she had changed out of her expedition outfit into a nice, comfortable shirt and pair of shorts that accented her figure rather well. Partially to keep the noodles from sticking, but mostly to avoid staring, Kadral returned his attention back to the pot and started stirring.

"It's nice to get out of that heavy armor and into something way more comfortable," Vette commented, stretching to demonstrate her regained mobility.

"You do know that officer gave you the lightest armor she had, right?" Kadral said with a smile. Though he kept his back to the Twi'lek, he was aware of her movement around the room.

"Yeah, well, I just haven't had time to get used to it," Vette retorted, walking over to him.

"I saw that gouge on the back of your breastplate. Told you armor saves lives," Kadral knocked on his chest plate for emphasis.

"Yeah, though I wish it was lighter. I probably would have dodged that slash had the weight not thrown me off balance." Vette peered into the pot from over Kadral's shoulder and inhaled deeply. "Mmmm. That smells good."

"Just boxed pasta. Nothing special," Kadral shrugged, trying to ignore the way Vette encroached on his personal space, and avoided thinking about why it mattered.

"I'm still looking forward to eating it." As if to punctuate her statement, the timer beeped. Kadral picked up the pot and moved it over to a pair of plates that he had set out, then spooned them both a serving. They sat down to eat and, once again, Vette finished her serving almost twice as fast as Kadral. When the cook found her staring hopefully at the pot, he motioned her to dig in.

"Don't worry, I made two boxes. This is all I'll need, and what you don't eat-" Kadral didn't finish as he saw Vette spoon the rest of the pasta onto her plate. "Eh, nevermind."

After they had finished eating and put their dishes in the washer, they sat down on the couch to discuss their plans for the next day.

"Okay. So, the shuttle leaves at 13:00. That means, after breakfast tomorrow, we need to start packing up. Well," Kadral suddenly realized Vette had nothing but her clothes and blasters, "Well, I need to start packing up. After that, it's off to Dromund Kaas."

Vette fidgeted beside him, chewing her lip nervously. "So, what will I do? I guess I can try to find a way to Nar Shaddaa, but I don't have much to help me get there."

Kadral was quiet for a moment as he tried to figure out how to phrase his next question. He decided to go with the direct route. "Would you be interested in working for me?"

"I-I don't know. What would I do? I doubt you'll be exploring ruins for a while." The Twi'lek kept her gaze averted while she spoke.

"I hope not. I hate places like that." Kadral shivered at the thought. "No, I mean as a mercenary. You're pretty good with those guns. I don't know what Baras will have me do, but I'm sure it'll be in my best interest to have a skilled fighter at my back. I can offer you good pay and the protection of a Sith apprentice. Whatever good that last bit is," he added in response to Vette's dubious expression. "And, I'd make sure we went to Nar Shaddaa as soon as possible."

"Let me think about that," Vette said carefully, mulling the options and possibilities over in her mind. "I'll let you know as soon as I can."

"Take your time," Kadral reassured her. We have a hyperspace journey ahead of us that'll probably take a while. I just need to know your decision by the time we make it to Dromund Kaas.

"I'll know by then." Vette yawned, then blinked sleepily at him. "I know it's a bit early, but all those fights today have me exhausted. I'm going to get some shut-eye."

"I still need to take a shower, but then I'll do the same." Kadral stood up, grabbed a bundle of clothes, and headed into the refresher. When he emerged, smelling significantly better, he saw that the lights were already off, and Vette was lying on the couch.

"You just got a concussion. You need a good night of sleep on a proper bed," came Vette's voice from the darkness, surprising Kadral by breaking the silence. "Not to mention, if I'm going to keep an eye on you, the couch is the best place to make sure I wake up."

"Keep an eye on me?" Kadral asked, lifting an eyebrow in a playful challenge.

"Yep." Vette stretched, then linked her finger beneath her lekku. "I read somewhere that you have to wake people who took a blow to the head up during the night. Last think I need is abrain-damagedd master."

"Very well," Kadral acquiesced as he slipped into bed with a smile. He drifted to sleep soon after, Vette's warning echoing in the back of his mind.

Kadral awoke the next morning to the sound of sizzling eggs, and the mouth-watering aroma of nerf sausages. He looked over, and saw Vette moving the sausages around in a skillet. Part of him wanted to be annoyed with the Twi'lek for making good on her threat. Every two hours, he'd woken to find Vette hoving above his face, poking at him to see if he'd wake up. Still, Kadral figured breakfast might make up for it, especially the way his stomach growled.

It took Kadral a while to realize that he was staring, at which point he shook the sleep from his head and threw off the covers. Vette must have somehow heard the sound of rustling fabric, because she turned to look at him, her face lighting up with a smile.

"Morning, sleepyhead," she sang. "That concussion must have taken a lot out of you. It's already ten."

Kadral's eyes widened. "Kriff!" he exclaimed, and jumped up. He wondered at what point Vette had decided he was clear of brain damage and stopped waking him up.

"Don't worry, you have time. I'll help you pack," Vette reassured him. "But first, dig in." She gestured to the plate of sausages on the table. "It's no herder's breakfast, but it's still good."

Kadral bit into one of the sausages, and barely managed to choke it down. "Indeed it is... good. Thank you. It's as good as my mother's." His last statement was completely true.

After breakfast, the two began packing Kadral's belongings. His wardrobe was fairly small, containing mostly jumpsuits to wear under his armor. It was all his gear that took so long. Fortunately, most of it was in lockboxes that they just had to consolidate onto a hover trolley, but some of the more frequently used things were scattered across the room, along with a substantial amount of high-quality, anti-spy gear. Vette found his redundant array of sound dampening fields and jammers impressive. "You've got enough here to put most SIS agents to shame."

"What can I say? My mom raised me to be paranoid," Kadral justified with a shrug as he closed the lid on the lockbox he had stored them in. It was the last thing to pack, and, after a thorough search of the room to confirm he hadn't forgotten anything, the two headed toward the shuttle platform. Even with the relatively short travel distance, they arrived just in time to load up the trolley and get in. Once they reached Korriban's orbital station, they transferred onto a transport cruiser and into the next chapter of their lives.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

* * *

 **AN: I'm so sorry for the delay. Summer work has me running ragged, though when school starts up in a month, things should be simpler. Maybe. Regardless, here's a nice, big chapter. It's also the first part this story that I wrote, and the one that inspired me to write _Birth of a Warrior._ If you want a backstory on the shenanigans referenced by Kadral at the beginning of this chapter, I recommend you read it if you haven't already. Also, spot the Fullmetal Alchemist reference.**

* * *

 **Mandoa words:**

 _ **Vaar'tur**_ **: Morning**

 ** _Tiingilar_ : A spicy Mandalorian casserole**

 _ **Ne'tra gal**_ **: A sweet, almost spicy, black beer or ale.**

 ** _Jate Ca_ : Good Night**

 ** _Su cuy'gar, ner vod_ : Greetings my brother. ( _Su cuy'gar_ literally means, "You're still alive," but it's typically used as a traditional greeting.)**

 ** _Su cuy'gar, bal'ban_ : You're still alive, indeed.**

 _ **Shebs**_ **: Butt**

* * *

After a fair amount of paperwork and shuttle transfers, Vette and Kadral finally crashed in their moderately-sized bunk aboard the transport from Korriban to Dromund Kaas. After Kadral scanned the room for surveillance equipment, he nodded to Vette, who set her small pack of clothes on the room's single bed with a relieved sigh.

"Well, looks like this will be home for the next day or two," she observed.

The quarters were a bit more cramped than either traveler would prefer, but it would do. She sighed in relief as she unburdened herself from her armor and stretched the muscles that were still getting used to the unexpected weight of a chest plate. Kadral attempted to hide his interest, failing miserably when Vette caught his staring from the corner of his eye. Vette giggled to herself before frowning when Kadral made no move to take off his own armor apart from his helmet.

She watched him situate his on or beside the nightstand and wrinkled her nose. "Are you going to sleep in that?" she asked, a tad confused

"Of course," Kadral replied as if it were completely normal.

"You're so weird," Vette teased. "Doesn't that get uncomfortable?"

"No. This is quality _beskar'gam_ -"

"Beska-what?" she interrupted. "You've mentioned that word before, like I'm supposed to know what that word means or something.

"Beskar'gam," Kadral repeated. "It means, quite literally, iron skin. My armor is made from Mandalorian Iron and was fitted by an expert. I've gone days at a time without taking it off."

"Days? Ugh, I bet you smelled like bantha poo." Vette pinched the bridge of her nose and fanned a blue hand at him.

"Better than smelling like a corpse," Kadral countered. "You only need to survive one middle of the night ambush to really appreciate quality armor."

"You expect an ambush here?" Vette stretched her arms out to gesture to their small room.

Kadral gave his Twi'lek companion a droll stare. "I always expect an ambush," he explained while ensuring that his weapons and helmet remained within easy reach. "And, my caution has been proven right too many times for me to stop."

"Well, hopefully, we can make it to Dromund Kaas before your smell turns me into a corpse." At least that crack brought a smile to the Sith's face.

Vette couldn't help but wonder more about Kadral. She was heavily considering his job offer, but still knew little about him or where he came from. That was when she had an idea: instead of grilling him on his backstory and potentially annoying him to the point where he shut her out, she could try something else.

"It's still too early to go to sleep," she said, sitting on the edge of the single bed in the room, "Let's play a game. It's called two truths and a lie. I tell you two truths and a lie about myself, and you try to figure out which one is the lie." Vette wagged a finger at Kadral. "No cheating with the Force. Then, you do the same to me."

Kadral smiled and sat down beside her. It would be a great chance to find out more about his cute, chipper traveling companion. He knew more than she probably expected, but he'd still like to learn more first-hand.

"Hit me," he said. Vette promptly whacked his shoulder plate, this time earning a chuckle from Kadral.

"Alright," Vette said, putting on her 'mocking serious' tone, as Kadral liked to think of it. "Two truths and a lie. I have been to jail… sixteen times. I have three sisters. I've been a hired assassin."

"Let's see," Kadral muttered, putting a hand on his chin as he pondered the possibilities. "You look too young to have been in jail that many times, but I've been eleven times, so it's possible. You don't strike me as an assassin. Then again, I bet if you were offered enough money to off someone who deserved it, say a slave dealer, I bet you'd pull the trigger. That leaves the three sisters, which is what my gut says- and there is a difference between a gut feeling and the Force," he clarified. "Let's go with that."

"DING! DING! DING! Give the Sith a gizka, he's got it!" Vette said with a grin. "I only have one sister, and her name is Tiva." Her face fell for a second, "I haven't seen her in awhile... But enough about that. I want to hear more about you. Give me two truths and a lie."

"Hmm," Kadral thought for a moment, then started counting off on his fingers. "I'm wanted for arson on three planets. I've killed an Acklay. I've been stabbed by a lightsaber."

"Well, I know the last one's true. I've seen the scar," Vette teased, poking at a place on his stomach that the armor couldn't protect, then flinched as she realized what she'd done. "Well, I guess that's a lightsaber mark." To her relief, Kadral didn't seem to care. She continued in casual tone. "That leaves arson, or the Acklay. Fire's always fun; let's say the Acklay is a lie."

"Good guesses," Kadral nodded approvingly. "That is a lightsaber scar, and I have a friend who's a pyromaniac. We're wanted for arson on Alderaan, Ord Mantell, and Naboo- his fault, not mine."

"I'm sure, your Sithiness," Vette replied with a wry smile. "Alright. Uh… I once bit my master's finger off," she emphasized her statement with a chomp, pulling a laugh from Kadral. "My favorite drink is Corellian brandy. I've broken into the royal Alderaanian museum."

Kadral scrunched his face in thought. "I can see you breaking into a museum or biting a finger, but I can't see you drinking Corellian brandy."

"Nope. It looks like the almighty Sith is wrong!" She paused, looking at his face for any sign of anger at her comment, but found none. "Corellian brandy was one of my guilty pleasures when I could actually get my hands on the stuff. I did try to bite my master's finger off when I was I was eleven, but the kriffing son-of-a-Hutt had a robotic hand." At this, Kadral gave a full-fledged laugh, something Vette hadn't seen yet, but something she really wanted to see again. "Laugh all you want, but it knocked a tooth out," Vette replied in a mock-hurt tone.

"Alright, Vette, last round, then we go to bed." Kadral thought for a moment, weighing his words. " I helped kill an Alderaanian noble. I enjoy holo-operas. My mom vandalized the two of the highest-traffic sites on the holonet to wish me a happy thirteenth birthday."

At his last statement, Vette smirked triumphantly. "You've overextended yourself with that Sith ego. I've seen the security on a few of those sites. Nobody could slice them. Some friends of mine and I tried once. Didn't even get past the first firewall. Still… I never pegged you for an opera guy."

"That's because I'm not," Kadral countered, now wearing a grin of his own.

"I call Bantha," Vette accused, narrowing her eyes.

"Nope, my mom's one of the greatest slicers in the galaxy. She's done it a few times before for major events." Kadral smiled at the memory. "Do you remember that time two years ago when The Coruscant Beacon's holopage got flooded with silver hearts? That was for her twenty-fifth wedding anniversary. She's really something. You can meet her when we get to Dromund Kaas."

"Okay," Vette said warily. "So what did the noble do?"

"Got a big enough bounty on his head," Kadral explained with a shrug. "He didn't back up some promises to some of his… financial backers. It was a good hunt. He had a Jedi guarding him, but my pyromaniac friend and I dealt with him. More or less. On one hand, I almost died from a stab wound, but, on the other, I got a lightsaber out of the ordeal." He patted the weapon at his side. It had served him well throughout the years, though he'd changed the color crystal as soon as he could find a better-looking one.

"That's, uh, cool," Vette said, glancing off to the side. "Would you kill anyone for money?"

"I'd kill more than most, but I do have standards. One of those standards is hating nobles. And Jedi." He scowled. "Both are so full of themselves."

"I haven't met either, so I wouldn't know."

"Trust me," the Sith scoffed. "The only thing worse than receiving a noble's snobbery is receiving a Jedi's self-righteous 'pity'."

"If you say so…" Vette didn't sound so sure.

"Not to mention, we learned that he was involved in slave trafficking, which we managed to free a bunch of." Kadra was glad to see the unease on Vette's face lighten a bit. "Like I said before, the highest bounties are usually on the lowest scum. And I don't kill if the bounty doesn't call for it, unless it's a... slaver." His voice cracked a bit on the last word, and he lowered his head. "I was pretty close to being that, myself. Vemrin didn't pay attention to you. You could have left, and he'd never have noticed, and I couldn't have blamed you. So, why didn't you do it?" he asked earnestly.

Vette thought for a second. She knew Sith had a penchant for letting their emotions show freely, but that had always been anger and… other things she didn't want to think about. Honesty, humility? Those weren't generally traits one associated with the a Sith. "I don't really know. I guess part of it was I felt I still owed you. The other part was that I hoped there was still a decent guy in there."

Vette put a hand on Kadral's arm. "And, I'm glad to see I wasn't wrong." Kadral smiled at her, and she felt her lekku growing a bit warm. To cover her blush, the Twi'lek yawned, arching her back in a stretch. When she peeked an eye open, Kadral was still smiling at her. Vette shoved at him playfully. "Anyway, I guess it is time to hit the sack."

Kadral laid down on the far side of the bed with his back towards Vette, who took the opposite side of the fortunately decent-sized mattress. With a wave of his hand, Kadral turned off the lights, leaving Vette alone in the dark with her thoughts. She pondered what she had learned about her potential new employer. He apparently had a hacker for a mom, and used to be a bounty hunter with questionable morals, but he didn't seem cruel. So far, Kadral had endured her pestering, and even chuckled-no, outright laughed-at her cheesy jokes. She had never seen a Sith laugh with genuine mirth. She hoped she could make him do it again.

While Kadral was able to nod off fairly quickly, Vette's mind had too many thoughts swirling around. The Sith's offer was one she found herself considering heavily, a thought she'd have scoffed at a few days ago. They worked well together, that was for sure, and a Sith would make a powerful ally. He'd been through a lot and survived, which meant no one would mess with her with his name attached.

Vette's mind drifted to the scars she'd seen on Kadral's body. A body that didn't look too bad, for that matter. His appearance wasn't something that she'd let affect her decision, of course, but it definitely didn't hurt. She quickly reined her thoughts back to the original subject.

The question was whether or not the things she stood to gain from such a partnership were worth the risks. While a Sith, a Mandalorian one at that, made for a powerful ally in a fight, being his bodyguard meant she'd likely have to fight more Sith. She'd been lucky that Vemrin didn't pay attention to her during their confrontation in the tombs. She likely wouldn't be so fortunate in her next encounter.

However, the biggest risk was in who Kadral was as a person. She definitely didn't want to sign herself up for a Sith murder spree. Kadral didn't seem like a sadist, but his past as a bounty hunter made her wonder. Obviously, Vette was no stranger to violence, having killed several times before to get a job done. But, bounty hunting was a completely different thing. With the exception of the slaver, Vette didn't usually seek out the death of others.

Still, Kadral had made a valid point that the highest bounties were usually on the lowest scum. Vette still wasn't sure. What she did know, or at least was pretty sure of, was that Kadral seemed to have a good heart, and she could use the extra money. Not to mention, a potential contact among the ranks of the Sith should he rise to a higher status. She still had time to think about her decision anyway, but was leaning toward a 'yes'. Her mind at rest, Vette's body finally drifted off to sleep.

Kadral was the first awake the next morning, if one could consider a morning to exist during space travel. He looked over and saw Vette sleeping peacefully. Her lekku were twitching slightly, making him wonder if she was dreaming. He thought about her words from the night before.

Vette's kindness had brought out the best in him, and that was honestly one of the main reasons he wanted her to accept his offer. Kadral didn't know what to expect with his new apprenticeship under Baras, but he hoped that Vette would be there to make sure he didn't do anything he'd regret. Kadral realized that he was still staring at her, but found it hard to look away even though he knew he probably should.

No straight man could deny that she was physically attractive, but he hadn't known her long enough to consider more. His trailing eyes and thoughts ground to a halt when Vette rolled over.

" _Vaar'tur_ ," he greeted her, snapping his eyes back to her face. "Morning."

"Morning," she replied. The two stared at each other awkwardly from their prone positions until Vette finally broke eye contact to swing her legs off the bed. Kadral followed her lead, and, after donning their gear once again, the two headed out to the main area.

* * *

It was over dinner that Vette finally announced her decision. She had spent most of the day going over the points she had considered last night, but, in the end, it was her gut feeling that she decided to trust.

"I'll do it. I'll work for you." Her declaration was rewarded with the biggest grin she had seen from the Sith yet. "Fair warning, though: I can fight, but I generally try to avoid confrontations if I can. I don't do well one on one."

"Well, it'll be two on two," Kadral told her, his smile permanently fixed. "Maybe three, if I'm lucky." Vette wasn't sure what he meant by that; perhaps it had something to do with the friend he mentioned last night. She didn't have a chance to ask as he continued. "Anyway, I'm glad to hear you're joining me. I don't know how Baras will feel about me freeing, and then hiring, my slave, but I don't kriffing care."

In celebration, Kadral ordered some Corellian brandy, to Vette's delight. Alcohol was not something Kadral frequently drank, as he preferred to keep as clear a head as possible, but he figured now was definitely an exception.

"It's been a while since I shared drinks with a friend," Vette observed as she poured a glass. That last word struck him oddly. Kadral's relationships with other acolytes at the academy had been mostly professional. A friend was something he had missed for three years. He'd never been more grateful to have clicked so naturally with Vette. Her smile and jokes brought a lightheartedness that had been absent on Korriban. Admittedly, he wasn't the most expressive with his emotions, but that didn't mean he couldn't appreciate her humor, just like with Corbin.

"Me too," Kadral replied, summing all his feelings up in those two words.

After dinner, Vette and Kadral retired to their cabin, where they decided to watch a holofilm on the projector. Kadral flipped through a list of available titles, settling on _The General_ , a very old holocomedy Vette hadn't seen before. She wasn't sure initially if she'd like something that starred beings who died centuries before she was born, but found it surprisingly entertaining. The antics of the lovestruck protagonist were cute, and his incredible luck made for some rather funny moments.

Later, as they were lying in the dark, Vette asked, "So what are you going to do when you get to Dromund Kaas? After you meet with Baras, that is."

Kadral answered almost immediately. "After I check in with the Mandalorian Enclave, I'm going to the _Shebs Be'strili_. It's a cantina that serves the best _tiingilar_ and _ne'tra gal_." Vette could almost hear the saliva dripping from his mouth as he spoke.

"I'd like to come with you," she commented, almost shyly.

"Sure. Just always make sure you go with a Mandalorian," Kadral warned. "The owners like to keep their establishment small, so they tend to ensure anyone who comes without a Mandalorian doesn't come again. In fact, that's the joke behind their name. It means, 'Strill's backside.' In Mando'a, we say that the worst bars or restaurants are ' _Chaavla sa shebs be'striili_ ,' or, 'Rough as a Strill's Backside.' That's what most Imperials think of the cantina, too, if they didn't come with an escort."

Vette started giggling. "I bet that's led to some fun scenes."

"Oh, it has," Kadral chuckled. "Fortunately, well, it's better if you meet the owner in person. You'll see why they haven't had a problem. But what about you? What are you going to do when you get to Dromund Kaas?"

"Hmm..." Vette thought. "I've never had a reason to go to the Imp capital, but I'd say the first thing I'll do is get my lekku buffed. I haven't had that done in a while, and it feels sooo good."

"I don't know of any good places, but I'm sure one shouldn't be too hard to find," Kadral told her.

"Most Twi'leks like them. You can usually get one at a spa," Vette explained. "Actually, there may not be enough free Twi'leks on Dromund Kaas for a spa to justify a buffer. Ah well, I'm sure I'll find something." With a yawn Vette curled onto her side, signaling the conversation's end. "Good night."

" _Jate Ca_ ," Kadral replied.

* * *

The ship landed on Dromund Kaas the next day. As the transport descended onto the surface, Vette looked out the window toward the cloudy skies flashing with lightning. Flashes of lightning revealed the jungle stretched out below, and Vette thought she saw wildlife moving around. Big wildlife, judging from how high up they still were.

"Gloomy, isn't it?" Vette observed.

"Yeah," Kadral agreed. "Hopefully Baras will send us to 'enforce his will' somewhere else soon."

Vette turned to look at him. "How do you feel about working for the Dark Lord?" she asked, having picked up on the sarcasm in her new boss's voice whenever he referred to his master's will.

Kadral was quiet for a moment before deciding to answer honestly. "Scared. I don't know what to expect, really. Hopefully, it won't be something I'd have to refuse."

Vette cast a glance at the Sith over her shoulder. "What would you refuse?"

There was longer silence this time, occasionally interrupted by thunder, as Kadral pondered his answer. "There are some things I know I won't do, others I'm not sure of. I probably won't know until it's too late."

His words troubled Vette, but she said nothing. Instead, she scooted a little closer, as if to offer support if he wanted it.

As they disembarked the shuttle, a skinny man wearing a servant's garb and a slave collar waved his hands, trying to grab their attention. He approached at a brisk jog before falling to his knees at Kadral's feet. "My lord, I am a humble slave who owes his every breath to Lord Baras, here with a message for you." he introduced himself in a wheedling tone.

"Get up," Kadral commanded. He had put on his helmet, so his vocoder gave his words a harsher edge than he intended. "What is the message?"

"Right away, my lord." The servant complied and, after straightening his attire, clasped his hands behind his back. "Lord Baras says to explore the city. Take in what Dromund Kaas has to offer, and he shall meet you tomorrow morning at 0800 hours."

Vette did a small fist-pump, earning a glance, but nothing more, from the messenger.

"Please tell Lord Baras I'll be there."

"Will you- uh- tell Lord Baras that I was good?" the servant asked hopefully, a glint of fear in his eyes.

"You did your job perfectly," Kadral assured him, and the man's face brightened considerably.

"Thank you, Gentle Juggernaut. I bow my head until you depart." Sure enough, the man did just that. Kadral and Vette shared an odd look before heading toward the taxis just outside the building. A few minutes later, they were on their way to the main city.

* * *

They had been riding for a few minutes when Kadral raised a hand to interrupt their discussion about why the main shuttle port would be so far from the city. He wore a strange expression that Vette couple quite interpret. Almost immediately after, a loud explosion boomed from somewhere in the trees to their left, followed by a roar of pain.

"Stop the speeder!" Kadral ordered the droid, then leaped out before it had a chance to slow down. He took off into the woods without a backward glance.

Vette waited the few seconds it took for the speeder to actually come to a stop before she jumped out. The jungle was too thick for her to see the Mandalorian, but he left a clear enough trail through the brush. She followed it, glad that Kadral had already crashed through any obstacles that might have gotten in her way.

More roars reached the Twi'lek when she burst out of the overgrowth into a small clearing where Kadral and another Mandalorian in green and orange armor were battling a massive creature she believed to be a gundark. It stood at least four meters tall on two legs and was swinging an arm the size of a tree trunk that was tipped with meter-long claws. The creature's other arm was lying to the side, the still smoking scorch marks implying that Kadral had cut it off with his lightsaber. That wasn't the only damage the monster had taken, though. Blistering patches covered its entire body.

As Vette took in the scene, Kadral brandished his purple blade, drawing the beast's attention. With a boost from his jetpack, the second Mandalorian leaped onto the gundark's back with a long length of thick cord. He slung it around the creature's neck like a garrote. Leaning back, it looked like he was trying to strangle the beast, then set off the rope, which Vette realized must have been thick det cord. The smoke cleared to reveal the gundark's headless body collapse, and its slayer clambering back to his feet.

" _KAN-KRIFFING-DOSHII!_ " the unknown man yelled, before walking over to Kadral, who had put his lightsaber away. The man had a similar build to Kadral, though he looked shorter. "Corbin!" Kadral exclaimed joyously. " _Su cuy'gar, ner vod_."

" _Su cuy'gar, bal'ban_ ," Corbin replied as he clasped Kadral's forearm. "I was hoping to catch you when you landed, but I got carried away." Corbin motioned to the still smoking creature, as if any explanation was needed. "The Imps are offering to pay for gundark heads near the shuttle port. I figured I might make some credits."

"I thought I sensed you while we were driving by," Kadral chuckled as he pulled his friend into a hug. "And, as soon as I heard that explosion, my suspicions were confirmed."

"Uh... Excuse me," Vette called out, waving as she walked over. "Confused Twi'lek here. Am I missing something?"

"Oh, sorry," Kadral apologized, facing her while sweeping a hand towards his friend. "This is Corbin Cadera. Mandalorian mercenary, pyromaniac, and general pain in the _shebs_." He reversed the gesture. "Corbin, this is Vette. I picked her up on Korriban."

"So you're the reason he's wanted on all those planets for arson?" Vette queried, quickly recognizing the name.

Corbin waved a dismissive hand. "They call it arson. I call it art. Artson, if you will." He waited for a reaction, then sighed when none was forthcoming. "So, is she a Sith, too?" he asked apprehensively.

"Nope, just a Twi'lek," she replied proudly.

"Good." Corbin sighed in relief. "I won't have to be the only sane one here."

"I don't think it's other people's sanity you should be worried about," Kadral commented wryly.

The chemistry between the two old friends surprised Vette. Corbin was remarkably different from Kadral, yet they seemed to get along quite well. She had little doubt that their duo was about to become a trio, which would hopefully also signal an increase in room-size. Seeing them bond was nice, but standing out in the rain that was ever present on this planet, significantly less so. When she mentioned this, the men agreed to return to the taxi, though neither seemed to have noticed the increasing deluge.

As they resumed their journey toward Kaas City, the reunited friends picked their conversation back up, and it quickly moved to weapons. "So, while I was training on Korriban, what new gear did you get?" Kadral asked, nodding towards the blaster on Corbin's hip. "Just the abbreviated version," he added with an upraised hand.

"Well, I got the new Dushkara 7, a couple new pistols, and, my favorite, a new flamethrower for my gauntlet- one of those Roystang 09s." Corbin tapped a nozzled box on his gauntlet. "This thing can make anything a bonfire in a snap."

"Nice! I heard a lot of good things about Roystang," Kadral complimented, and Vette leaned back in the seat to grin at their exuberance.

Corbin opened his mouth to respond, then snapped it shut to squint through the rain-streaked window. "By the way, where is this taxi going?"

Kadral crossed his arms and nodded towards the shadows that dotted the mountains that ringed Kaas City. "Mandalorian Enclave. I want to talk to my family."


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

* * *

 **AN: Another delay, I'm sorry. I planned to publish the story several weeks ago, but college also started several weeks ago and I've just gotten everything together. Anyway, on to the show! As always, a huge thank you to Cinlat for Betaing this.**

* * *

 **Mandoa words:**

 ** _Su cuy'gar_ : Hello**

 ** _Kadral Lok, ti Corbin Cadera bal Vette, olar haa'taylir Mandalore_ : Kadral Lok, with Corbin Cadera and Vette, here to see the Mandalor.**

 _ **Gar dumyyc**_ _**slanar**_ **: You are allowed to pass.**

 _ **Buir**_ **: Father or Mother**

 **Ad: Son or Daughter**

 _ **Cyare**_ **: Beloved**

 _ **Elek**_ **: Yes**

 _ **Shab'rudur**_ **: Screw with**

 **Haat: Truth**

* * *

Kaas city, the seat of the Empire, was designed to be the most imposing and impressive metropolis in the galaxy. However, while imposing, no one in Kadral's group considered it truly impressive. It had scale, but lacked creativity. Every building seemed indistinguishable from its neighbors, and the muted color caused by a combination of an eternally overcast sky and the Imperial Grey color scheme gave everything a depressing feel.

It was a relief when they finally arrived at the Mandalorian enclave. The giant banner over equally large doors had a Mythosaur skull emblazoned on it. It's organic design contrasting with the symmetric spokes of the Imperial seal. Inside, the enclave held a spartan vibe, but the simple utility of each door, fixture, and piece of furniture felt artistic in its own way. The Mandalorians inside also stood out from the Imperials in the city with their distinctly non-uniform suits of armor.

" _Su cuy'gar_ ," Kadral greeted the guards at the entrance with a nod of his helmet. Corbin followed suit, but Vette just moved slightly closer to Kadral. As soon as the doors closed behind them, Kadral and Corbin removed their helmets and clipped them to their belts, allowing Vette a look at the face of the newest addition to their group.

Corbin had lighter skin than Kadral, with a long, thin scar running across his cheek. His hair was blonde, reached almost to his neck, and was matted from its time under the helmet, though the young mando tried to fix that by running his fingers through it as he followed Kadral, who strode purposefully down the halls. Eventually, they came to a stop at a large, decorative door protected by two guards who were heavily armed- even by Mandalorian standards.

" _Kadral Lok, ti Corbin Cadera bal Vette, olar haa'taylir Mandalore_ ," the Sith announced.

" _Gar duumyyc slanar_ ," the guards replied. " _Oya Manda!_ "

"What did you say?" Vette whispered as the doors opened.

"I said, 'We're here to see the Mandalore,'" Kadral replied, turning his head toward her.

"The Mandalore? I thought we were here to see your parents," Vette exclaimed frantically, smoothing her shirt as the trio walked into a large room that appeared to be a combination throne room and dining hall. It was lined with the stuffed heads of various exotic animals. At the end were two chairs, decorated with images of mythosaur skulls. The largest seated a man in blue and green armor, who was fiddling with a golden helmet. Beside him was a petite woman looking up from a datapad. As Vette studied the couple, then, as she looked back at Kadral, it dawned on her.

" _Su cuy'gar, Buir,_ " Kadral called to the man who was standing up, then offered a familiar smile for the woman, "Hi, Mom."

"Welcome back, _Ad,_ " Kadral's father answered , walking over with the precise movements of a man who had been a fighter all his life. Nothing less could be expected of the leader of all true Mandalorians. The two clasped hands, then Kadral let go to give his mother a warm hug.

"I'm so glad you're home!" Kadral winced as Mako squealed into his ear. As they separated, his mother glanced pointedly over his shoulder, "Aren't you going to introduce us to your friend?"

"Oh yeah. Sorry." Kadral slung an arm around each parent and guided them towards his companion. "Vette, this is my mom, Mako, and my dad, Brycis, though most know him as the Mand'alore," he said with a proud grin. "Guys, this is Vette."

"We've heard a lot of good things about you," Brycis told Vette with a smile. "Kadral said you handled yourself pretty well in those tombs."

"He told you about that?" Vette asked, blushing.

"Oh yes," Mako cut in. "It was the first message we had gotten in months." The woman flashed her son an irritated scowl. "I was starting to worry about him."

"Ah, I knew he could handle that academy." Brycis slapped his son on the back. "But hey. I bet you guys are famished. I've got some nerf steaks ready to throw on the grill."

"Sounds great, _Buir_ ," Kadral answered, already starting to salivate.

"Oh yeah," Corbin agreed emphatically. "I haven't had meat since breakfast."

"How do you like your steaks?" Brycis asked, looking at Vette.

"Medium, please," she replied, looking forward to a meal made by the man who had taught Kadral to cook.

"Let's see. I've got the steaks." Brycis waving for Kadral to follow. "Can you saute us some veggies?"

"Sure. Any in particular?" Kadral asked.

"Let's go with Mantellian asparagus," Brycis answered. "I can get some bread warming in the oven, and we've got plenty of drinks on hand. That leaves dessert." He looked at Vette with a grin. "And I happened to have made a fresh batch of _uj'alayi_. Kadral mentioned that you liked it. Mako's got the table, and Corbin," he turned to the young man. "See if you can find Torian. Ask if he wants to join us."

"Yes, Sir." Corbin gave a mock salute and took off.

"As for you," Brycis looked back at Vette, "You can do whatever you want."

"Can I- uh- watch you cook the steaks?" Vette requested without meeting the Mando's eyes. "I'm not a good cook, but I'd like to see what I can pick up."

"Sure!" Brycis boomed with a big grin. "I'd love to have some company." He waved his hand. "Come on."

* * *

One hour, and several delicious dishes later, Vette leaned back contentedly in her seat. Each of her stomachs were stuffed, a sensation that she had felt more in the past three days than in the year before that.

"So, Vette," Mako addressed the Twi'lek after finishing her last bite of _uj'alayi_. "Kadral said he'd offered you a job. Are you going to take it?"

"I am," she answered. "Someone's gotta make sure the Sith don't sneak up on him."

Kadral smiled, causing Brycis to clear his throat, "Is there a backstory behind this?"

"Oh, I can tell there is," Corbin's father, Torian Cadera, leaned forward to prop his chin on his fists. "And, judging from their smiles, I bet it's a good one.

Kadral took a sip of his drink before explaining. "At the academy, there was this acolyte named Vemrin. He and I were rivals for the top spot as Baras's apprentice, and the Sith have only one way of solving rivalries like that." Brycis and Torian exchanged a knowing glance while Kadral continued. "In the tombs, he managed to ambush me and stun me with a sniper rifle." Kadral leaned forward. "I was barely able to hold my sword, much less fight with it. Then, he jumped at me and, next thing I knew, Vette pegged him mid-air. I guess Vemrin didn't figure a slave was worth his time."

"Slave?" Brycis frowned.

"I had been captured during my first trip into the tombs," Vette explained, "and Baras gave me to your son to help him find a lightsaber." Kadral started fidgeting. "I was lucky, though. He took my collar off and made sure I was well-equipped before we went into the tomb." Vette looked over at Kadral, who had a relieved smile on his face. "The mission worked great, except for the concussion, and-"

"Did you say 'concussion'?" Mako interrupted, dark eyes darting over her son. "Are you okay?"

"Relax, _Cyare_ " Brycis reassured his wife with a hand on her shoulder. "Our _ad_ is too thick-headed to let a little concussion slow him down."

"Don't worry, Mom," Kadral told her with a smile. "Vette knew how to handle a concussion, and woke me up every few hours to make sure I was good."

"I'm your mother and I'll worry as much as I want to," Mako retorted, before looking over at Vette. "But, thank you for taking care of my son. I don't know if Kadral told you, but I'm a pretty good slicer." She reached over and put her hand on Vette's. "If you need to know anything about anyone, I'll find out for you. I take care of those who take care of my family."

Vette smiled, before looking sideways at Kadral. "He did mention something about you being a slicer. In fact, he said you vandalized some holonet sites on his birthday." She raised a tattooed eyebrow in challenge.

"Oh yes," Mako giggled. "I always like to tell the galaxy about big occasions like that, even if no one knows who it's for. Gotta keep up the skills somehow. So let me know if you need anything."

"Well," Vette hedged, "I have a sister I'd like to get in touch with again. I don't have too much that I can tell you, though."

"Don't worry. I can work with pretty much anything." Mako smiled. "You know what? We should have a girls' day. Go shopping, hit the spa, I even know a place where you can get your lekku buffed." Vette's eyes widened. "And, along the way, you can tell me what you know about your sister."

"That sounds great!" Vette exclaimed, her lekku twitching enthusiastically.

"Then it's settled. Tomorrow, Kaas city won't know what hit it!"

"So what will you be doing, Kad?" Brycis cut in, looking at his son.

"Baras told me to meet him at 0800 hours," Kadral answered. "Not sure what he has in store for me. Probably just a briefing on the state of Sith affairs."

"Well," Corbin began before letting out a belch. "Excuse me," he said in response to Mako's glare before turning back to address Kadral. "If Baras has anything interesting for you to do, and you want an extra hand, let me know. One can only find so many ways to kill a gundark."

"Hey." Torian slapped the table and turned toward his son. "Did your det-cord garrote work?"

"Oh, it was beautiful," Corbin answered wistfully. "I'd have brought you back the results, but someone," he glared pointedly at Kadral, "didn't want to order the pilot droid to let me bring the head back on the taxi."

"Pity. There's always room for another gundark," Torian observed, leaning back in his chair to take in the rows of mounted heads adorning the walls."

"So you say," Mako countered. "I, for one, remember the days when one could actually tell what color the walls were painted"

" _Cyare_ , you said you hated that old burgundy color," Brycis reminded her.

Mako cast a droll stare at her husband. "It's better than the varying shades of fur we have now. Honestly, don't most men have a cave or something for that kind of stuff?"

"We do, and it's full," Torian answered, then shrunk back into his chair as Mako cast a withering glare at him.

"It's the, uh, intimidation factor," Brycis tried to explain. "Nothing reminds those Imp diplomats who they're dealing with like seeing the proof of our successful hunts."

"So you have told me," Mako responded dryly. "But, they only have to look at it for a few minutes. I, on the other hand, have to look at it every day."

"Anyway…" Kadral broke in awkwardly. "Are we going to do anything tonight?"

"Vette and I need to pick out some clothes for her to wear tomorrow," Mako chimed, turning her attention to her son. "Standard-issue Imperial is not going to cut it. I'll let you borrow some of my stuff," she told the Twi'lek.

"And, I need to show you all the new guns I picked up," Corbin added eagerly with a playful gleam in his eye. "Only if you let me try them," Kadral returned without hesitation.

"Deal!"

The two pairs headed off, leaving Torian and Brycis alone in the dining hall. "One last mug of _net'ra gal_?" Brycis offered his friend.

"Sure," Torian replied, holding out his cup for Brycis to fill.

"They grow up so fast," Torian sighed as they drank. "It feels like yesterday I was teaching Corbin how to shoot a blaster. Now, I'd wager he's got more guns than both of us combined." The two chuckled. "So, what about Kadral?"

"What about him?"

"He's changed," Torian answered bluntly. "Anyone can see that. He's more serious. You haven't seen him face-to-face in almost three years. You don't know what he's done, or what he's been forced to do. Now, he comes back working for a Sith Lord. You think he'll be able to handle it?"

"I trust my _ad_ ," Brycis stated firmly, his eyes steel. "And, we've worked for Sith Lords before. Dozens, in fact."

" _Elek_ , but it took killing our first employer to teach the others not to _shab'rudur_ us," Torian pointed out after he took a sip.

"Well, we didn't even have the Force to level the field. Kad does."

" _Haat_ ," Torian conceded, though he felt that age had softened his friend's memory of their fight with Darth Tormen. Their drinks finished, the two retired for the night.

* * *

The next morning, Kadral showed up at Lord Baras's office at precisely 0800. His new master was staring out the window at the dreary skyline. "Not a minute soon or late, my apprentice. Your timing is impeccable." Baras turned to face Kadral. "I assume you took my minion's advice and enjoyed your time in Kaas city. How was he, by the way? Was he helpful?"

Knowing that the poor man would be punished brutally for failure, Kadral answered with a nod, "He was a dutiful servant."

Baras clasped his hands behind his back. "A beaten down slave is the only trustworthy creature," he observed. As for you, though, you will not be able to trust anyone, even those who work for me." Baras began pacing gracefully despite his ample girth. "You will be in contact with my various minions, and your only commonality will often be the task that I desire for you to complete. My spies may turn on you, but know that, as long as you are following my directives, you may do as you will with both adversary or ally."

"Good," Kadral nodded. "I work best unrestrained."

"Remember, apprentice. A lightsaber can only do so much," Baras said as he gestured to Kadral's weapon. "The most powerful weapon in a Sith's arsenal is information. I have built a network of spies throughout the Empire, the Republic, and even the Jedi. I have fingers, eyes, and ears everywhere."

"And, what am I?" Kadral inquired.

"You are my Fist. My Enforcer." Baras's attention again turned to the window. "You will protect my interests, intimidate my allies, and destroy my enemies. And, your tenure begins now. A starship is touching down at the cargo port in bay 124 delivering an important prisoner in carbonite. You will meet Commander Lanklyn and ensure that the prisoner is safely offloaded."

"Expecting trouble?" Kadral asked as he approached Baras to gaze across Dromund Kaas' gloomy landscape as well.

"Always assume you are being plotted against, especially when the stakes are high," Baras advised. "This prisoner's importance cannot be overstated. Now, go to the cargo port and stay sharp. You are dismissed." the Sith Lord waved his hand towards the door, and Kadral took his leave.

* * *

As Kadral traveled to the port in a cargo speeder, he called Corbin with the offer to act as backup. "I don't know if there's actually going to be a threat, but Baras says this is pretty important."

"Count me in!" his friend answered before cutting the line. Kadral simply smile at his friend's exuberance.

Kadral arrived fifteen minutes before Corbin, who himself arrived twenty minutes before the shuttle was due, giving the pair plenty of time to secure the area. The area seemed clear of any threats, but Corbin nevertheless took his usual precautions to properly prepare the place in case there was a fight. Eventually, he settled in a nice corner on top of several stacked shipping crates in a sniper position. Soon after, the roar of engines signaled the arrival of the transport. With the woosh of hydraulics, the landing gear extended, and the wings folded upwards to allow the ship to fit into the hangar bay. As the door opened, Kadral approached the man who appeared to be the commander- given how he sauntered down the ramp. The four guards who flanked him were unperturbed by the armored man approaching them.

"I assume you are Lord Baras's apprentice," the man said, bowing.

"You are fortunate to assume correctly," Kadral snapped. Whether or not Baras was over exaggerating the danger to his cargo was irrelevant. This pitiful lack of preparedness on the guard's part did little to earn Kadral's favor. "If I were an enemy, you would all be dead before you could even raise your rifles."

"My lord, this is the capital world of the Empire," Commander Lanklyn argued as he straightened. "My men and I have performed far more dangerous duties for Lord Baras. The prisoner is in carbonite, and we're in friendly territory. Surely we're safe."

"There's no such thing as friendly territory," the Mandalorian scolded. "And, no excuse for your guards to become lax in their duty,"

"With all due respect, sir, that level of paranoia works for Baras, but I don't subscribe to it."

"You're in charge of guarding this prisoner. Paranoia is your job. Now get the oversized block of ice to Baras," Kadral ordered with a wave.

"Incoming," Corbin's voice echoed through Kadral's helmet just before another voice chimed in from a side door.

"Not so fast." Kadral turned at the newcomer's warning. He was a human who had a few other men with him. They were well armed, but didn't look like a particularly professional force, though appearances could be deceiving. "My master ordered that block of ice, so step away from the man, and no one ends up in the grave."

"This is a private party," Kadral informed the spokesman, placing a hand on his lightsaber to emphasize his point.

"Well, then consider it crashed," the man smirked.

"Lookie lookie. If it ain't Slestack." The distinctly stupid-sounding voice of a Houk came from yet another side door. "Your master be wanting the froze man too, huh? Too bad. It mine."

Kadral resisted the urge to massage his temples at the ridiculous nature of his bad luck. Instead, the Sith squared his shoulders and placed himself between both gangs. "Too bad for both of you; It's mine," Kadral stated, shifting into a more ready stance.

"This Trophy is popular. The competition should be fierce," Slestack laughed, drumming his fingers on the grip of his blaster.

"If you not flee, you learn fierce, Slestack," the Houk threatened, pounding his fist into his palm.

"We should never have doubted Lord Baras. What do we do?" the terrified Lanklyn asked. His men seemed braver, raising their rifles to cover the gangs who'd flanked them.

"We do our job, and take care of the intruders," Kadral instructed.

"You may be a Sith, but you can't beat all of us," Slestack informed Kadral.

"Let's use his wishbone to determine who get carbonite man," the Houk suggested with a feral grin.

"A truce, then," Slestack said with an oily smile. "You stood a chance before, but even your master couldn't beat these odds."

"Your funeral," Kadral warned, a smirk hidden by his visor.

"No, my funeral parlor," were Slestack's last words. As he lifted his blaster towards Kadral, a hole appeared between his eyes, courtesy of Corbin's Dushkara 7.

"Sniper!" the Houk yelled, as an explosion sent shrapnel ripping through his group.

As panic set in, Kadral ignited his lightsaber and dove into the disorganized mass of Slestack's group. First, he targeted the gunmen, who could do nothing to penetrate the shield of his whirling blade. As he did so, the shuttle's guards opened fire on the Houk's squad, quickly cutting them down with the help of Corbin's sniping. After a few seconds, it was only Kadral versus two men who clearly had experience using their cortosis-laced staves to fight a Force user. Their teamwork was good, but not good enough. Kadral winced as one staff cracked across his back, but he took the opportunity to push the other man out of the fight where Corbin easily targeted him. Now that it was one versus one, Kadral gained the advantage, battering his opponent back until the man tripped over a power-coupling and exposed himself to Kadral's finishing thrust.

The battle over, Kadral turned his gaze to the captain and his three surviving men, one of whom had a nasty hole in his shoulder. "Put the wounded man on the carbonite block. Let's move!" he ordered. Corbin leaped down from his vantage point and joined Kadral as the group rushed to the cargo speeder that Kadral had left outside. Fortunately, it hadn't been sabotaged, and the group headed back to the Citadel without further incident.

* * *

Vette was still in a blissful daze as she and Mako traveled back to the Mandalorian enclave.

"I take it you had a good time?" Mako asked with a chuckle.

"This has been the best day of my life," the Twi'lek sighed. They had started the day with shopping, with Mako helping Vette pick out some outfits, followed by a long, relaxing trip to the spa. The two swapped stories of growing up in rather dubious environments, with Vette sharing tales of her time in Nok Dreyan's gang, and Mako sharing the story of how she met Brycis. The young Twi'lek was enthralled by the tale of how Brycis won the Great Hunt over two decades ago, getting himself adopted by the Mand'alore himself.

"So, is that title an inherited thing? Vette asked.

"Oh, no." Mako laughed. "The Mandalorians don't really care about who your father was, only who you are. Brycis fought about a dozen other warriors to claim his title."

"If you don't mind me asking," Vette began nervously, "You don't seem quite as 'Mandalorian' as your husband and son. You know, you don't wear much armor, don't speak in Mandalorian, and the way you described the Mandalorians sounded like you don't consider yourself one of them."

Mako gave a reassuring smile. "I don't mind you asking. And no, I don't really consider myself a Mandalorian. It's a culture I can respect, and I'm glad my husband enjoys being a part of, but their culture is just isn't quite me. I'm not big on armor and never bothered to learn much of the language, though I had to learn pretty quick when Burkyca, Kadral's older sister, started learning how to talk. I didn't want Torian teaching her how to say things behind my back." The two chuckled.

"What about the other Mandalorians?" Vette asked. "Do they mind?"

"If any of them do, they're too afraid to mention it," Mako shrugged.

Besides stories, Vette also told Mako about her sister, Tiva, and the expert slicer promised to look into it. Vette's mind whirled with the possibilities of seeing her sister again. _What if she's changed? What if she's dead?_ Thoughts of the worst clouded through her mind.

"I'm glad you're going with my son," Mako's words cut through Vette's worries, startling her back to the present.

The Twi'lek turned her attention back to her companion. "Why is that?" she asked.

"Kadral is a good man, but I worry about him sometimes. I've known enough Sith to know that being around them can do things to people. Change them into something they weren't before. I have faith in my son, but I also know he'll need decent friends who can keep nudging him in the right direction." Mako smiled fondly. "I know I did that for Brycis. Even back in our younger days, my job was more than just finding marks and bandaging his wounds. I made sure he didn't do things he'd regret, and I still try to do that today."

"Why me?" Vette asked, confusion evident on her face.

"Because he respects you," Mako answered simply. "Something happened between you two on Korriban. I don't know what it is, but I see it, and Kadral is better because of your presence. Call it Mother's Intuition. He respects you, and, after spending time with you today, I see why. You aren't afraid to speak your mind, and he'll need that."

"Alrighty, then," Vette said, feeling slightly awkward. Surely she couldn't make that much of a difference. Then again, what happened in the tomb said otherwise. Maybe Mako was right.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

* * *

 **AN: It's been three months and I'm so sorry. This semester was super rough, but now that Finals are over, I can get back to writing. I'd like to thank everyone who has favorited and/or followed this story. Knowing that people are enjoying my work is what keeps me writing it. That said, I'm considering trying to streamline the story in order to not get stuck on one planet for several chapters, as has happened with Korriban and Dromund Kaas. It'd involve skipping certain parts of the story (for example, the Ravager Fetch Quest on Dromund Kaas), but would help prevent burnout and allow me to focus more on the character interactions outside of Bioware's original Sith Warrior storyline. If you guys _really_ want to see every questline, let me know, but otherwise, I'll be cutting out certain quests I feel can be shortened or bypassed with a paragraph mentioning something like, "I had one of my acolytes find this thing in the dark temple. Behold the Ravager." Another change I'll be doing unless I hear requests otherwise is shortening the _Mando'a_ dictionary at the beginning to only include new words introduced in the chapter, which will also be added to a Master Dictionary I'll be adding and updating at the beginning of Chapter 1. It won't include proper nouns (you can look them up with google-fu if you want to), or full sentences (which I'll usually have someone translate to Vette), but it should have all of the Mando words and phrases used in the story so far. The main reason I'm doing this is that it kind of gets old explaining what ' _Su cuy'gar' or 'ner vod'_ means every chapter. Again, if you guys like the larger dictionary in front of each chapter, I'll keep it, but for now, I'll just be adding new words, and giving you the ability to check anything you had forgotten with a quick flip back to chapter 1.**

* * *

 **New** _ **Mando'a**_

 _ **Be-**_ **: Prefix used to indicate possession**

* * *

After arriving back at the Citadel, Kadral dismissed Lanklyn and his men, and joined Corbin to escort their carbonite-encased prisoner to his master's office. "And I thought the city looked dull," Corbin grumbled as the two walked through the same plain hallways that Kadral had seen every day during his time with the Sith. "This is somehow worse than the ones at Imperial bases," he continued. "It needs something more. Names carved into the walls, beer and blood stains, maybe a torch or five."

"Yeah, yeah," Kadral dismissed absentmindedly. "Remember, don't speak to Baras. Let me handle everything."

"Got it," his friend agreed. The pair made it to Baras's office and pushed the prisoner inside. Baras's masked visage betrayed no indications of his feelings, and the Sith's mental barriers were far too strong for Kadral to read how pleased his master was with their arrival.

"Lanklyn informed me of the ambush at the cargo port," the Dark Lord began without preamble. "We appear to be under more scrutiny than even I expected." His voice darkened further. "I have felt a disturbance in the Force that haunts my dreams. A grave threat that could doom my power base."

Baras motioned to the block of carbonite. "This man is an SIS agent who was captured while investigating one of my most hidden spies on Nar Shaddaa- one of my 'invisibles.'" The portly man began pacing, his volume dropping to a mutter. "The Force grants visions of doom, and then my untraceable spy is almost exposed," he growled in a voice that spoke more of cold rage than hot fury, sending chills down Corbin's spine.

"Maybe he wasn't as invisible as you thought," Kadral suggested. He knew enough about spies and slicers to know that overconfidence could be an agent's biggest downfall.

"Do not presume to tell me my business," Baras snapped. "I must learn what tipped off the Republic agent. Yes, he is the key to uncovering the nature of this threat. I will painfully draw out every morsel of knowledge he possesses."

The Sith turned to Kadral as if having suddenly remembered he was still there. "As for you, I have something that requires your attention and the unique skills of you and your companions," referring to Corbin for the first time. "I am glad to see that you, too, understand the value of skilled minions." Corbin bristled internally, but his feelings stayed hidden behind his helmet. "There is an imperial post in the jungles outside the city. Commander Pritch is there. He has a seek-and-destroy mission for you. Go there now."

"What is my target?" Kadral inquired.

"Do not bother me further. Commander Pritch will tell you what you need to know. I must tend to this agent." Baras walked toward a panel on the wall that appeared to control an intimidating machine hanging from the ceiling. "Waste no time, as there is more to be done once this is complete. You are dismissed."

* * *

The two quickly found their way to the post that was supposed to oversee construction of a giant statue to some Dark Lord. Along the way, they began filling each other in on their adventures.

"By the way, did I tell you I teamed up with Jedi?" Corbin asked casually.

"No, you didn't," Kadral responded with a raised eyebrow.

"Yeah. Do you remember that padawan I talked to during our _Verd'goten_?"

"The one I killed?" Kadral touched the saber at his side.

"No no no," Corbin waved his hand. "The other one. The girl at the banquet."

"I vaguely remember dragging you away from a girl, but I don't remember anything about her," Kadral frowned.

"Well, she was about to become a padawan to a Jedi when we first talked," Corbin explained. "I met up with her later on when she and her master were tracking down a Hutt spy on Nar Shaddaa." He shuffled in his seat. "It's a long story, but our goals coincided, so we teamed up. It was one of the more interesting contracts I've fulfilled, and I actually enjoyed talking with Jaesa. I always thought Jedi were a lot more boring."

Kadral could sense that there might be more to Corbin's words. "Just talking?" he teased.

"Well… Yeah." Kadral didn't need the Force to know his friend was blushing as he said those words. "I mean, me and a Jedi? Besides, they have that 'no attachments' thing." Corbin rolled his eyes as he made air quotes.

Kadral lifted a finger. "Ah, but you'd have considered it otherwise?" he probed.

"Of course not," Corbin said with confidence. Kadral had to give his friend credit. His lying was pretty good. Before the conversation could continue, they found themselves nearing the post. Kadral craned his neck to see the unfinished colossus looming across the gorge, while Corbin snorted in contempt. In addition, the post was in a state of high alert. After asking for Commander Pritch, they were directed to a rather unremarkable, but quite military-looking man who identified himself as their contact and informed them of a recent slave revolt.

"The slaves have gotten hold of military-grade weapons," the man explained, "and are currently hiding out in the jungle."

"Then they aren't slaves anymore," Kadral observed, letting his gaze track across the treeline.

"Former slaves," the commander rephrased, his countenance slipping for a fraction of a second before continuing on his original train of thought. "What few know is that Lord Baras orchestrated the uprising to discredit a rival. However, some enterprising slave leaders are threatening to make this knowledge common if Lord Baras doesn't give them better weapons. Our Lord will not tolerate this, and has ordered you to kill enough of them that the survivors will reconsider."

Kadral's widening eyes were fortunately hidden by his visor. "Violence isn't always the only option, and I like to see all my choices. Is there anything else we can do?"

If Commander Pritch was surprised by their statement, he didn't show it. After a few moments of thought, the man's eyes brightened. "A few of the leaders still have connections to the underworld and have been selling some of their fellow slaves on the black market. This knowledge would make their followers furious. If you can find proof, you can blackmail the blackmailers."

"That sounds like an excellent idea," Kadral nodded, his action mirrored by Corbin.

"Our intel states the leaders have their quarters in this location," Pritch added helpfully, offering Kadral a data chip.

"Thank you," Kadral said as he accepted it and inserted it into his helmet. The information was quickly overlaid on his HUD's map. After sending the coordinates to Corbin, the two headed across a bridge crossing the gorge and melted into the jungle.

* * *

As they ran through the trees, Corbin asked cautiously, "So… What's the plan?"

"Well," Kadral answered slowly, "if our intelligence is correct, and the leaders have been selling their fellow slaves, then we kill some of them, and keep the information for blackmail. If not…" Kadral was silent for a few moments. "I'll come up with something."

"What do you mean, 'something?'" Corbin pressed.

"If I knew, I'd tell you," Kadral snapped.

"We're at least going non-lethal until then, right?" Corbin queried, an edge in his voice. They were approaching a compound and hid behind a large tree to wrap up their conversation.

"Of course." Kadral sounded offended.

"Hey." Corbin stepped up to Kadral. "I haven't seen you since you went off to Sith Central years ago. I don't know for sure if you're the same man. We've had fun, but now it's time for action. I need to see who you are now." Having said his piece, he backed off. "Come on. Let's go."

While the heavy armor of Mandalorians appeared clunky, to those who had worn it for a decade or more, the beskar was like a second skin, offering zero impediments to their stealthy movements. As Kadral and Corbin scouted out the camp, they noticed a larger, more secure building than the surrounding tents and huts.

"That's gotta be the target," Kadral pointed at a metal structure. Unfortunately, it wasn't bordering the jungle- whoever constructed it was far too smart for that. However, it was dark, and the trees blocked most of the moonlight. The two hunters slipped between buildings until there was only a quick sprint across open ground to their destination. Kadral knelt and reached out with the force, sensing the surrounding life forces and where their attentions lie. His eyes snapped open. "Now!" The Sith propelled himself across the short distance in a fraction of a second and rolled underneath the pylons that held the building off the ground. Without the Force, Corbin couldn't hope to reach Kadral's speed, but he wasn't far behind. The two men guarding the front door didn't hear a thing.

"Thermal shows four people inside," Corbin reported, staring through the floor.

"They're all asleep," Kadral noted. "I think I can cut a hole through the floor without waking anyone, but the sound might alert the guards."

Corbin unslung his blaster rifle and drew a Pythus blaster pistol in his off hand. "I'll stun them, and you drag them under the building with the Force," he suggested. "Someone will notice something's up eventually, but this hopefully won't take long."

"Alright," Kadral answered, then reached out with both his hands towards the guards and waited for Corbin to fire. Two comparatively quiet circles of energy buzzed past him to strike the guards in the legs, and Kadral jerked back with his hands. The guards slipped under the building with nary a cry.

"Alright. I'll cut a hole, you jump through and stun them," Kadral offered.

"Or, we can both cut a hole." Corbin smiled behind his mask as he held up a cylinder similar to, but much longer than, Kadral's lightsaber.

"A saberstaff," Kadral observed, surprise evident in his voice. "Where'd you get that?"

"Not all my interactions with Jedi ended well," Corbin answered cryptically. "I'll tell you another time." The two got into position and ignited their lightsabers. Kadral's purple blade and Corbin's blue one punched through the flooring and, with practiced ease, circumscribed an entrance. Kadral used the force to jump through his hole, while Corbin fired off a quick burst from his jetpack. He aimed at the sleeping man on his right and stunned him with his pistol before whirling around and stunning the other man who had started to rise. His job done, he turned to Kadral, who had similar success and was now rooting through the footlockers at the base of each bed.

"We only have a few minutes before someone notices the missing guards," Kadral reminded. "We've gotta find something before then."

Corbin gave an affirmative grunt and began looking through the lockers himself.

"Found something!" Kadral exclaimed holding up a datachip, which he plugged into his suit's computer to analyze. "Jackpot!" he pumped his fist. "Names, buyers, prices, all we need to blackmail… Just this guy. Frassi Mald," he gestured to an unconscious form on the bed behind the ransacked footlocker.

"Wait," Kadral continued. "He had an accomplice. But I don't see his face in this room."

"That's just two guys out of the eight beds I see here," Corbin pointed out. "Not enough to influence a majority."

"True," Kadral admitted. He was quiet for several moments. "Which locker belongs to Nolan Garth?" he asked.

"This one," Corbin kicked an open box.

"Perfect." Kadral drew his lightsaber and plunged the blade through Mald's heart.

"What the Kriff!" Corbin exclaimed.

"He sold his fellows back into slavery. I see no reason to keep him alive," Kadral answered coldly. "He'll serve as the warning." Kadral tapped some buttons on his gauntlet and copied the incriminating datachip onto another chip, along with a message. "And this," he gestured with the new copy, "will serve as blackmail." He slipped the chip into Garth's locker. "It'll ensure we have someone on the inside pushing for our interests. Also, I'll see if _Aliit Mav_ can send them some weapons, to further prevent any more demands from being made of Lord Baras."

Corbin nodded. "Genius, _ner vod_."

"Told you I'd come up with something." Corbin could hear the smirk in Kadral's voice.

* * *

Kadral reported their results to Captain Pritch, who felt that more of the leaders should have been killed but respected the apprentice's decision. On the speeder trip back to the Mandalorian Enclave, Corbin voice a question that Kadral knew had been bugging him. "So what's with you and Vette? I'm sure if you wanted more help than me, you could have picked up another Mandalorian, like Kebiin or Alysia. Why her?" His eyes glimmered mischievously, "Is there something I should know?"

"Vette's pretty good with those blasters," Kadral responded in defense of his friend. "And a little variety never hurt a team. Look at how _be'buir_ crew turned out. Plus, I promised to take Vette to Nar Shaddaa."

"Yeah. Look at how they turned out," Corbin ribbed with a wide grin.

"Vette and I are just friends," Kadral explained. "For now," he added quieter.

"Ah hah!" Corbin exclaimed triumphantly, pointing a finger into the air. "I knew there was something!"

"I'm not saying there is." Kadral tried to rein in his friend's enthusiasm. "I'm just saying I'm keeping my options open."

"You do that," Corbin chuckled, picturing the two together. "Guess you do have a thing for lekku," he said. A pang of loss sliced through Kadral's heart as he heard the reference to Nalah, his old Togruta girlfriend. "I'm sorry," Corbin apologized when he saw his friend's subtle reaction. "I shouldn't have brought her up."

"It's okay," Kadral said, straightening to look out the window. "She wouldn't want her memory to hold me back. She'd be happy knowing I found someone else."

"I think she'd have liked Vette," Corbin added.

"Me too," Kadral agreed without turning his gaze from the window. "She always appreciated spunk."

* * *

It was very late when Kadral and Corbin finally returned home. Neither woke until noon the next day. Fortunately, they were still in time for lunch with Mako, Brycis, Torian, and Vette. The pair took turns recounting their adventures between bites, with Brycis laughing at Kadral's description of Slestack's last words.

"If you're gonna make a badass quote, say it after you've killed the guy," was the sage advice of the _Mand'alor_.

As the story moved to the slave camp, Kadral frequently found himself glancing at his father's face between bites, and was thankful for the approval he found there.

"You two handled that well. I'll see what we can provide." A wicked gleam flashed in the man's eye. " _Aliit Mav_ hasn't been able to strike Imperial slave holdings yet. Maybe now we'll finally be able to stick it to the _chakaarise_."

"And, of course, you all know that Baras's involvement in this incident is strictly confidential," Kadral clarified, looking around at those seated at the table. "No one can know I told you this."

"Of course. Our operation will exclude Baras's name entirely," Brycis reassured his son.

"Good." Kadral nodded, then turned to his Twi'lek friend beside him. "Now, how was your day, Vette? You get that lekku buffing?"

"Oh, it was magnificent," Vette sighed. "I also got some new clothes, which were nice, and was treated to the biggest nabana split I've ever seen."

"Did you get that special order?" Brycis queried.

"You mean the armor? Yeah." Vette grimaced at the thought of the armor, then noticed Kadral frowning at her reaction. "It's a lot lighter than the last set I wore. I'll get used to it quickly." she smiled at him. "Thanks," she told Brycis. "Really."

"Kadral gave them the sizes and paid for it," the Mandalore shrugged. "I just expedited the process a bit. It's made of beskar, allowing it to be pretty tough even though it was made much thinner and lighter than most armors." Brycis leaned his elbows on the table. "That said, the thinness means it won't deflect lightsabers like ours will."

"Don't worry!" Vette laughed. "I'll leave the lightsabers to Kad," she nudged the apprentice with her elbow before continuing. "Yesterday was fun, but, after a spaceflight and a rest day, I'm ready to do something again. What's next?"

"I'm not sure," Kadral answered. "I haven't heard from Baras yet, but…" the beep of his comlink cut him off. "Speak of a Devaronian, and he will appear," he muttered as he read the ID. Kadral left the room, only to return a few moments later. "Welp. Baras wants us to meet him ASAP. Finish up, and let's move out."

* * *

After a short trip to the Sith Sanctum, the trio found themselves approaching Darth Baras's office. Kadral frowned and stopped his hand just before it opened the door.

"Stay outside, Vette," he ordered. "You won't be needed in here." Vette frowned and wanted to protest, but the two Mandalorians had already entered.

Inside, the Republic prisoner was strapped to a vertical table, electricity coursing through his body as Baras unleashed an agonizing torrent of Force lightning into the poor soul. "ANSWER ME!" the Dark Lord commanded. "I WILL NOT BE DENIED!"

The Republic spy mumbled something that sounded like, "Kriff off." The answering bolts caused him to scream for several seconds. Growing bored with his toy, Baras turned to his apprentice, leaving the prisoner panting.

"Pritch informed me of your success against the slave leaders," Baras began without preamble. "Good work. I'm still trying to break this Republic agent. He's unexpectedly resilient." The older Sith snarled, sending a quick bolt of lightning at the recovering man. "I may need to resort to another method. For now, though, I have another task for you."

Baras gan to pace with hands clasped behind his back, which only served to exaggerate the girth of his waist. "There is a renegade Sith Lord known as Grathan who has incurred the wrath of the Dark Council. I have infiltrated his ranks with one of my operatives: another apprentice known as Dri'kill Ba'al. He has reported that he has made a key discovery."

This was the first Kadral had heard of a second apprentice, though he wasn't too surprised. "What kind of discovery?"

"That is unknown," Baras answered. "Ba'al only communicates with predetermined signals. Today, he sent one that indicates he has found a weakness- an exploitable one." Kadral could swear Baras was grinning behind his mask. "Grathan's presence is useful. I don't want him killed, only crippled. Find out what this weakness is, and do as Ba'al instructs."

Kadral frowned. "Is this other apprentice my superior?"

Baras chuckled. "He likely views himself as such, but seniority means little in my ranks. This datapad has the information you'll need to contact him. Now then…" Baras turned back to the agent, who had steeled himself for what would come next. Kadral and Corbin took it as an indication that they were dismissed and left Baras's office. The screaming began by the time they reached the elevator doors.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

* * *

 **AN: College again strikes, but I've finished the next chapter. I hope you enjoy.**

* * *

Lord Grathan's estate was located several thousand kilometers from Kaas City, meaning that Kadral had plenty of time to pour over the available information on his target during the shuttle ride. Grathan had apparently gathered a sizeable army to guard his estate, which could easily be considered a small country. While he stood no chance against the might of the entire Imperial Army, the Sith Lord's forces had been able to repel what the Sith Council had thrown at them so far.

Kadral suspected that Grathan hoped to make a war against him too costly for the Sith Empire, but it was a fool's hope. The Sith would not easily look away from such a rebellion on their own planet. The only reason Grathan hadn't been utterly annihilated already was likely that the Sith Council didn't want to give the impression that they feared him that much. Or, Kadral mused, the members of the council may be intentionally prolonging the conflict in order to distract and divert their rivals. From Baras's comments about their mission, this could very well be the case.

The Kadral opened his datapad and began studying the relevant maps of their target area. He knew that the information on Grathan's fortifications were likely out of date, but looking at the topography would afford him an idea of what the old Sith might have done to further secure his domain. As he did so, Corbin began chatting with Vette.

"So, uh, dual wielding," the young man observed. "Not too many people can do it, but Kad says you're pretty good. Where'd you learn those skills?"

"I used to run with Nok Drayan," Vette preened. "He taught me a lot."

"Drayan," Corbin rubbed at his chin while he tried to recall the name. "He was an old smuggler, right? Disappeared a decade ago. Most think he died, but you can never tell with people like him."

"Pirate, actually," Vette corrected. "He freed me from my first stint as a slave and let me serve with him."

Corbin's brow rose. "You must have been pretty young if you joined up with him over a decade ago."

"I was six when Drayan killed my first master. He offered all the slaves a choice to go free or work for him. I had nowhere else to be, so I picked the latter. I was with him three years before he suddenly told us all to leave." Vette sighed. "I haven't seen him or his daughter since."

"His daughter?" Corbin probed, maybe a little too enthusiastically.

Vette made a face that elicited a chuckle from Corbin. "Her name was Risha. We used to play together. She was a little older than I was, but we got along pretty well. I'd like to see her again someday." Vette shook her lekku. "But, enough about my sad story," she said, clearly wanting to change the subject. "Got any juicy stories about Kadral? He said you two were bounty hunters before he joined the academy a few years ago. You guys must have been pretty young, too."

Corbin shrugged. "Young is a relative term. Mandos become adults at thirteen, and we're expected to take up adult jobs. Not all of us go into bounty hunting, but, as the kids of the greatest hunters in the galaxy, we didn't have too many other skills."

"Kadral told me about the vordgoat-" Vette started, but was interrupted by Corbin snickering.

" _Verd'goten_ ," he corrected.

"Yes, that," she replied, a little miffed. "It's pretty intense what Mandalorians put their kids through."

"Kids can do a lot if you give them enough training and responsibility," Corbin observed. "Look at you, a pirate before you hit double digits."

"Fair," Vette acquiesced. "But it's not a life I'd recommend."

"I don't blame you, though Kadral's sister might disagree."

"Mako mentioned that he had a sister," the Twi'lek commented," But Kad never mentioned her." Her gaze turned toward the young Sith, who was still studying his datapad.

"She's a, uh, bit of a sore spot." Corbin knew Kadral was still listening, so he chose his words carefully. "Her name's Burkyca, and she's two years older than Kadral. Shortly after her _verd'goten_ , she left with a family friend- a Devaronian named Gault- to become a smuggler. We haven't heard from her since, though Gault keeps in touch and lets us know she's okay. Mako probably knows where she is, but respects her privacy. Brycis isn't too happy about it, but knows better than to argue with Mako."

"Why'd she leave?" Vette queried.

"Dunno," Corbin shrugged. "I was eleven at the time, so I wasn't aware of everything going on."

Vette looked over to see if Kadral would weigh in, but he remained silent in his study. "What did you do as bounty hunters?" The Twi'lek asked.

"Hunt bounties," Corbin replied, his tone asking for clarification.

"Well duh," Vette rolled her eyes. "I mean, were you two independent contractors? Did you work for someone? Were you doing anything else?"

"Ah." His brows shot back up. "We generally worked alone, though there were employers we took multiple contracts from, and sometimes we'd set up shop in an area- just clear out all available bounties." Corbin explained with a fond smile. "Nalah always liked it when we'd settle down for a bit."

"Nalah?" Vette's lekku perked up and Kadral stiffened. "Kadral only mentioned you."

"Nalah was-" Corbin looked over at Kadral, "our companion. A Mandalorian Togruta who joined up with us about a year after we started." Vette didn't miss the past tense, but before she could ask anything, Kadral interrupted.

"She was my girlfriend," he clarified in a perfectly neutral tone, his eyes not leaving the datapad. "I was going to ask her to marry me when I turned sixteen, but sometimes things happen."

"I- I'm sorry," Vette murmured.

"Don't be," Corbin reassured her with a forced smile. "It's a hazardous job. Sometimes people die, and there's nothing you can do about it." The last part seemed directed at Kadral, who pursed his lips. The rest of the trip was spent in tense silence, with Vette cursing herself for her inquisitiveness.

* * *

When the shuttle finally arrived, it landed in the middle of nowhere. It was still a few hours until dawn, and there was less cloud cover in the area, allowing Vette a glimpse of the planet's twin moons, which were nothing but slivers in a sky filled with constellations Vette had never seen before. She turned toward Kadral, who spoke before she could open her mouth.

"We're about a hundred and fifty kilometers from Grathan's borders," he told her, preemptively answered her question. "We'll travel the rest of the way on speeder bike," he gestured to the three long vehicles stored inside the shuttle's cargo bay.

"I- uh- haven't ever ridden a speeder bike before," Vette informed the two men cautiously.

Both helmets snapped towards her. "You what?" Corbin asked incredulously. "But didn't you grow up around pirates?"

"Nok Drayan broke his foot while riding a speeder bike and forbid his daughter from using one," Vette explained, then shrugged. "I kind of got lumped in with her. Once I left, the Twi'lek group I joined up with never had enough money to afford a bike so… I guess I never really had a chance to learn."

Kadral sighed. "We'll have to fix that. Corbin and I have used speeder bikes for a while as a quick and comparatively portable way to get around fast. But we can't fix that today."

"I'm sorry," Vette rubbed her toe on the ground

"Don't be," Kadral reassured her, realizing how she could have taken his words, especially after the _other_ conversation. "I guess you'll just have to ride on the back of my bike."

Ten minutes into the speeder ride, Kadral realized that the usually talkative Twi'lek hadn't said anything. "I'm sorry about Corbin," he said over a private channel between the two of them, before swerving to avoid a tree. "He doesn't always know when to stop talking. You don't need to hear about our old issues."

"I don't think he did anything wrong," Vette replied. "And," she mustered her courage. "I do need to know about your old issues. I'm part of your team- right?" Her tone wasn't challenging, nor was it fearful. If anything, it was encouraging. "If there's ever anything you want to talk about, I'll listen. Losing someone close to you is always hard. I know from experience. But you can't beat yourself up about it."

"You-" Kadral began sharply, then softened his tone. "You don't know the whole story. I'll tell you some time, but it's not something I'm ready to open up about just yet."

"I understand." Vette's arms around him tightened into a quick squeeze. "You're in no rush."

* * *

It was still mostly dark when the trio made it to the official border, where Vette could see a dim light on the horizon, indicating civilization was ahead. Fortunately, Grathan hadn't had time or resources to set up proper defenses all around his estate, leaving gaps that someone with experience could take advantage of, and their trip to the city where they'd meet Baras's operative was unchallenged. The sun had only broken over the horizon half an hour before they reached the city gates. Kadral had stowed his lightsaber away, so no one was surprised to see another trio of heavily armed mercenaries walking around once they entered, and, a few minutes later, Kadral was knocking on the door to the office where Baras's apprentice, Dri'kill Ba'al, was masquerading as one of Grathan's own Sith.

"Who are you?" a man in black robes demanded.

"One who seeks victory for our master," Kadral answered, using a pre-approved code phrase.

"You?" Ba'al sneered. "I thought he'd send an assassin, not some savage Mandalorians."

Kadral held up his hand to stop Corbin from doing anything rash. "Bold words to say to someone who was sent to do a job you can't."

"You wait," the Sith hissed. "I'll be serving Baras long after he uses you up. You're expendable. I'm not. Now on to business," he reached under his desk for a datapad. "The campaign against Grathan has been slowed to a crawl by various members of the Dark Council fighting against each other, and Grathan is starting to feel secure. Baras, though, wants to send Grathan a message. Show him that he's not invincible. I was sent here undercover, and I finally have something to show for it." Ba'al turned around the datapad. On the screen was a picture of a young man roughly Kadral's age. "Grathan has a son. If you can kill him, it will prove that he's not untouchable in his little kingdom. If."

"Don't underestimate Baras's decision," Kadral warned. "This isn't my first assassination."

"We'll see. Grathan's away on business," the agent warned. "This spike should get you into his son's private quarters," he tossed a over a small rod, which Kadral inspected.

"This should be adequate," Kadral observed after he finished turning it around in his hands.

"First, though, you'll have to destroy the monitoring stations. It's quite simple- we wouldn't want anything too complicated for you, now would we?" Ba'al snarked. "Just find the monitoring stations and kill everyone inside."

"Or," Vette piped up. "We could just hack the monitoring, too."

Ba'al turned his head to glare at the Twi'lek for interrupting, but Kadral agreed. "That should definitely be simpler. I'm guessing you don't already have a spike available? No matter," he finished before the other Sith could answer. "I'm sure I can whip something up. Anything else?" he asked.

"Nothing," the man told them before sitting back down at his desk. "We'll see if you can live up to Baras's expectations."

"In that case, we'll be off." Kadral spun around and walked out the door, Vette and Corbin at his heels.

* * *

It had been a long day for the group, despite Kadral and Corbin's late start, and the trio retired to a hotel, where they signed in under pseudonyms. Kadral was 'Ga'nader,' Corbin put down 'Naur,' and Vette chose her favorite alias: 'Corvi'. Following a light breakfast of pastries from the lobby, they all took a long nap, waking up a few hours before sundown. They used those hours to prepare for the mission, ensuring their weapons and electronics were in working order, and constructing a spike to take care of the monitoring station. Rather than stop by a restaurant, Kadral reheated some of the _Wayii_ that he had made from the Gundark Corbin killed a few days earlier. While Gundark also wasn't something Vette considered a traditional meat source, she still enjoyed it even more than the first batch Kadral had made from K'lor'slugs on Korriban. Bellies full, the group headed out toward Grathan's Mansion. Fortunately for them, an evergreen forest grew fairly close to one of the walls that encompassed the grounds, and they took full advantage of the cover it provided. When they got in view of the mansion, Vette tapped Kadral on the shoulder.

"What's your plan to get in?" she asked, looking out at the massive building, its perimeter surrounded by a fifteen foot duracrete wall.

"Sprint up against the wall where the cameras will have an odd angle seeing us, slice through the wall with my lightsaber, and try to sneak up to the station from there," he answered.

"There aren't any moons out tonight," Vette pointed out. "Your lightsaber will stand out like a beacon."

"I hadn't thought of that," Kadral mused. "I can Force jump over, but I don't know about you two."

"I have my grappling line," Corbin answered.

"And I think I can climb up that," Vette pointed at a willowy tree, whose branches would never have supported the weight of an armored Mando, but just might support a thin Twi'lek. "But let me go first. One is stealthier than three." Vette could feel Kadral's hesitation but continued before he could open his mouth. "Trust me. I've sneaked into tougher places, and anything that sees me would definitely have seen you two first."

"She's got a point, Kad," Corbin put in.

"Very well, Vette," Kadral sighed in resignation. "Go for it, and remember that I'm right behind you if anything goes wrong." Vette smiled at him before dashing towards the wall.

There were surprisingly few guards on the other side of the wall, and the lack of natural light prevented anyone from seeing Vette's silhouette as she vaulted the barrier. The spotlights dotting the watchtowers might have been a problem, but they were moving and incredibly slow intervals. She had studied the general layout of the place with Kadral, and managed to quickly locate the monitoring station. Inside, she found several guards, all but one of whom were playing sabaac. Going alone was likely a needless precaution, Vette thought as she jabbed the spike into a computer terminal. Quiet whirrs and beeps were the only indications of the little rod's assault on the system, and, after a few seconds, it released itself with a click, letting Vette know that her work was done. The computer would begin looping the cameras, which, considering this group, likely wouldn't be noticed until daylight. She informed Kadral and Corbin of her success over the comms and met up with them near a side door.

"The security here is embarrassing," Vette shook her head.

"Grathan's overconfidence must have spread to his men," Kadral observed as he turned the knob. Inside, there was even less security. The door to the son's quarters, though, was quite advanced. Fortunately, Ba'al's spike worked as promised, and the group quietly slipped in. "Depending on how skilled Grathan's son is with the Force, he may have already sensed us," Kadral warned his friends. He spotted a door with light peeking out from under it, the voices of a young man and an older woman came from inside. Kadral put away the blaster and lightsaber he had been holding and drew the long _beskad_ from his back. He lifted up three fingers, closing them one by one into a fist, which he then thrust towards the door, opening his hand as he did so as if palm-striking an unseen foe. The door exploded into the room, where it veered off to the side seemingly of its own will, revealing a woman seemingly in her forties standing protectively in front of a young man Kadral recognized as Grathan's son. Mother and son both held ignited crimson lightsabers. This was going to be a lot harder than the young Sith expected. He stepped forward into the room just enough to allow Corbin and Vette to flank him, their weapons trained on their target, though both were wise enough to know not to fire on a Force-user with an ignited saber.

"I am Celvanta Grathan. Who are you and how dare you enter my son's room?" the woman demanded.

"We're the last people you'll ever see," Kadral answered.

"I'm not so easily intimidated," the woman sneered. "My son is only an acolyte, but I am a Sith." She turned to her son and ordered, "Beelzlit, take cover!"

"No, Mother!" he protested. "I'll fight with you."

Kadral whirled his sword around in his hands as he stepped forward. Up to this point, Vette had only seen Kadral in two proper duels, with him being concussed in the first one and using an unfamiliar weapon in the second. Now, as she saw him move, she realized why Kadral had chosen this weapon. The well-tempered Mandalorian iron couldn't be cut through, unlike most metals, and its heft allowed him to strike with far more authority than someone used to dueling with nearly weightless plasma would be prepared for. This was especially true for Grathan's son, Beelzlit, who, every time he went in for a strike against Kadral, would be knocked back several feet by the force of the Mando's blows. His mother was far more experienced, but she hadn't fought against someone with a lightsaber-resistant physical weapon in years.

Beelzlit swung an ineffective slash, which Kadral allowed to merely bounce off his armor as he spun around, sending a Force-enhanced kick into the acolyte's chest. He turned the momentum into a devastating side-slash, which Celvanta managed to use her lightsaber to take the brunt of, but the edge of Kadral's blade still bit through her robes into her arm. Meanwhile, Corbin had lined up a shot on the stunned son, though his target's enhanced reflexes allowed him to almost roll out of the way, turning a lethal shot into merely a wounding one. The Force of the mother's anguish knocked Kadral back several feet and stunned Corbin and Vette, allowing Beelzlit to limp over to his mother.

"Why us?" she gritted out. "What have we done to you?"

"Grathan's son must die," Kadral told her flatly. "Nothing personal."

"What if I give you another option?" Celvanta asked, desperation in her eyes. Vette felt bad for her until she heard her next words. "Spare us and we'll help you kill Grathan instead."

"With a spouse like you, who needs enemies?" Corbin scoffed.

"I married for power," the woman snarled. "Now I want out. I'm strong, but not strong enough. You might be."

"Grathan isn't my target," Kadral responded simply. "No negotiations. He dies." Kadral pointed his _Beskad_ at Beelzlit.

"Beelzlit, run!" the mother cried as she gave one last, desperate leap forward. Emotion was power to a Sith, but it still wasn't enough to compensate for the woman's exhaustion. Kadral repelled her blow one last time, keeping her saber off to the side just long enough for him to draw his lightsaber from his belt to his offhand, point it at her heart, and press the activation switch. Beelzlit, meanwhile, had nowhere _to_ run, so he charged at Vette, instead. Unfortunately for him, Corbin's second shot hit its mark. With all threats neutralized and their target dead, Corbin and Kadral each claimed their victim's lightsaber, though Kadral immediately tossed his prize to Vette. The surprised Twi'lek barely managed to catch it, juggling the cylinder in her hands for a few moments.

"Lightsabers are pretty handy if you want to cut through pretty much anything," Kadral remarked. "Though let me know if one of our enemies has one you like more."

"Thanks," Vette told him, eyes wide as she turned the cylinder around in her hand. "Will you teach me how to use it? I have a feeling it might come in handy."

"I can try," Kadral answered, "But they're kind of tricky to use. We'll be better off hooking you up with something more suited to what you are already good with."

Vette activated the lightsaber and was immediately surprised by its strong gyroscopic effect. After making sure no one was in range, she tried a few practice swings, then shook her head and deactivated it. "Yeah. Let's see what else there is."

"I already have a few ideas," Corbin chimed in.

"As do I," Kadral concurred. "We can discuss them back at the Enclave."

Getting out was as easy as getting in, and the three assassins melted into the night. As they approached the building where they had met Dri'kill Ba'al, Vette pointed out, "You know he'll probably try to kill you now that you've completed the mission."

"You say that like it's a problem," Kadral chuckled.

"Well, he isn't a problem, but trying to get out of town with a ton of guards on our tail will be," Vette explained.

"Ah, we can take 'em," Corbin declared.

"No, Vette's right," Kadral looked at the Twi'lek. "Much as I'd love to give him his due, he isn't worth the bother. Let's report back to Baras."

On the way back, Kadral could tell something was on Vette's mind. At first, she insisted that she didn't want to talk about it, but, upon further pressing, she relented. "I just… kind of feel bad for Beelzlit and his mom. They didn't ask to be used as pawns in the little war the Sith are having." She was clearly a little bit nervous with her statement, but Kadral quickly reassured her.

"Don't be afraid to be honest with me," he insisted. "I want to hear your concerns. In this case, though, I have to disagree. Grathan has made war with the Sith Council, and, in war, every combatant is fair game. Celvanta knew that but still stayed there with her son anyway. As she said, she was in it for the power. And her son was as much an adult as us. He could have left if he wanted to, but he also stayed, probably because he, too, was in it for the power."

Vette nodded, not entirely sure if she agreed, but she definitely saw the logic in his statement. Unlike the ride over, the return trip had a much more positive air.

* * *

When they returned, Kadral sent Vette and Corbin back to the Mandalorian Enclave while he reported to Baras. The Sith Lord was still interrogating the poor republic agent, and Kadral was glad he had sent Vette away. The Mandalorian understood the usefulness of "enhanced interrogation techniques", but some people just don't break. Baras would gain nothing of value by using whatever dark arts he had to keep the man alive far past any normal limit. Fortunately, the report went quickly and smoothly, and Kadral was dismissed after only having to spend a few minutes in the Darth's office. When he arrived at the Enclave, Corbin had already gone to bed, but Vette was leaving the refresher, having taken a shower and changed into a set of red shimmersilk pajamas Mako had bought her. The short top made it a little difficult to keep his eyes on her face, but it became easier when she saw him and smiled.

"Good night," she whispered as he passed her.

"Good night."


End file.
